


A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

by mandeebobandee



Series: Hogwarts Havoc [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-08-25 16:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 43
Words: 52,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16664434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandeebobandee/pseuds/mandeebobandee
Summary: Join Virgil and the gang as they enter their 7th year of Hogwarts! Just what does this year have in store for them?





	1. Chapter 1

Virgil felt disoriented,  _confused_. His head was spinning.  
  
The thirteen year old heard his father's stern voice and immediately tensed up.  
  
_"Get up, boy,"_  he heard his father say. Virgil, aware now that he was lying on the ground, pushed himself up to a seated position.  
  
_"Excellent technique there, Lionel. I want to see more of that,"_  Linus Thompson told his older son, fourteen year old Lionel. Virgil resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and instead did so mentally. Of course Lionel was there. Of course Linus was praising him.  
  
...for what, exactly?  
  
For a moment, Lionel appeared as confused as Virgil did. Then a look of recognition came across his features. Virgil missed this entirely, still preoccupied with the questions of how and why he'd wound up on the floor in the first place.  
  
_"Thank you, father,"_  Lionel smiled in amusement.  
  
_"Didn't I already tell you to get up, boy?"_  Linus snapped at Virgil. Virgil hastily pushed himself to his feet, closing his eyes in an effect to block out the way the room spun as he did so.  
  
_"As you might have guessed, if you weren't stupid, Lionel has just tested a Stunner on you. He has done a beautiful job of it to, I might add. And you..."_  Linus chuckled.  _"I suppose I ought to give credit where credit is due. You made a wonderful target."_  
  
Lionel snickered at this. Virgil clenched his fists, staring downward.   
  
_"Well, if you will not be of any more use to us, you best be on your way. See if your mother needs any assistance with dinner."_  It wasn't a suggestion, it was a demand - one that Virgil knew he should follow. Linus would know if Virgil did not do as he said - he would 'casually' bring up the subject over dinner, and if Renilda mentioned that Virgil didn't offer to help her? Linus would see right through it and would let him  _know_  this.  
  
Besides, he would much rather spend time with his mother at any rate. She was at least kind to him -  _truly_  kind, not the fake kind that his brother and father were - even if she was afraid of his abilities as a Seer.  
  
Virgil left the room. Lionel waited until he heard the far off sound of Virgil's voice followed by Renilda's, then turned to his father.  _"May I ask what that was about, father? I did not shoot a Stunner at Virgil."_  
  
Linus smirked.  _"Of course you did not, my boy."_  Despite calling both Virgil and Lionel 'boy', there was a marked difference in the tone with which the older wizard spoke. With Virgil, it was as if Linus was speaking of an ill-behaved dog that he was only keeping around because his wife insisted upon it. With Lionel, it was fond, approving - the way one would  _expect_  a father to speak to his son.  
  
_"Why did you tell him that we did, then?"_  Lionel asked his father curiously.  
  
_"I thought the gift that your brother possessed was perhaps a fluke...a one-time incident. He just, unwittingly, showed me that this was far from the case."_  
  
Lionel's eyes went wide.  _"He made another prophecy?"_  
  
Linus chuckled.  _"Oh yes, and I feel that this one may be very useful to our endeavors. Virgil must not know of this, however."_  
  
Lionel blinked.  _"Why not, father?"_  
  
_"Because we need to work out the meaning of the prophecy for ourselves. In addition, I suspect the prophecy proper may contain references to him. The boy may be useful after all,"_  Linus said thoughtfully.  
  
_"I wouldn't quite go that far,"_  Lionel muttered under his breathe.  
  
_"I would,"_  Linus countered.  _"He may even prove more useful than yourself with time. You are dismissed."_  
  
At just the right time, too, as Lionel could not keep the scowl from his face as he turned to retreat to his room. Virgil, more useful than himself? Virgil, who cared not for the cause, while Lionel remained loyal to a fault?  
  
Only time would tell if their father's words would prove to be true or not.

\-------------------------------------  
  
_"Evening, Virgil,"_  Virgil's mother greeted him with a smile as he stepped through the doorway of their flat.  
  
"Hey Mom," Virgil told her in response. He slipped his name tag off and set it aside. He and his mother often got off of work around the same time on the days that Virgil worked, though his mother got off work a little earlier and usually already had dinner started for the two of them when Virgil walked through the door.  
  
Virgil's job was only part time. He worked at Flourish and Blotts, something that Logan was positively  _thrilled_ about when he heard. Virgil already made a couple of purchases for Logan with the discount he earned as an employee - one requested by Logan himself, and one as a surprise. It was a signed copy of a newly published book by one of Logan's favorite Astronomers, and he knew that Logan would love it.  
  
Virgil spent most of his time shelving books and making sure they were sorted properly - He was astonished at just how  _messy_  customers to the book store could be. Were they this messy at their homes? And some of them had such nasty attitudes about it...he'd heard one mother tell her child to leave the books that she didn't want just sitting on a shelf and that the employees would clean it up. It was, after all, what they were paid to do.  
  
All of this within earshot of Virgil, and judging by the look she cast Virgil afterward? This was by design, not by accident.  
  
Overall, though, Virgil's interaction with customers was fairly minimal. He occasionally had to help customers find books and help out at the registers if it got particularly busy. It could be nerve-wracking working with strangers, but Virgil found that so long as he stuck to a script and tried to make small talk otherwise, he could manage well enough. It still set his heart racing at times, and if someone 'threw off' his script he'd catch himself stuttering or tripping over his words, but...overall it could have been worse.  
  
_"You'll be starting up school again soon,"_  Renilda mentioned as she stirred a pot on the stove, bringing Virgil back from his reminiscences about work to the present.   
  
"Couple of weeks from now," Virgil responded.   
  
_"Are you looking forward to it?"_  Renilda asked him, glancing at him to gauge his reaction.  
  
Virgil made a face. "Just...hard to believe it's my last year," he muttered.  
  
_"You're looking forward to seeing your friends again, but you're worried about the changes that are coming?"_  Renilda guessed.  
  
"...when did you study Legilimancy?" Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"Not a Legilimens. Just a mother,"_  Renilda said with a chuckle.  _"Just take it as it comes. And also...if you talk with your friends about it, I'm sure they're all nervous about it too. Some may be more prone to nerves than others,"_  she glanced at Virgil meaningfully, and Virgil chuckled,  _"but you're not alone in how you feel. I can guarantee it. You want onions in your soup?"_  
  
"Of course I do. And thanks," Virgil told his mother. It didn't alleviate the nerves, but it did serve to comfort him somewhat, to know that he wasn't alone with these feelings (even if he  _did_  have an innate tendency to take nerves and then multiply them to the nth power).  
  
By the time he and his mother set down to dinner, he was feeling marginally better.  
  
As the days before school grew closer and closer, however, the worries grew stronger once more. This was his last year at Hogwarts, and he had to make it count.  
  
But what if everything fell by the wayside?


	2. Chapter 2

Virgil made good on his promise to visit Logan over the summer - as well as his promise to give Logan and his parents ample time to prepare for his arrival.   
  
He could not shake his nerves, not entirely at least. He realized that Logan's parents probably (hopefully) weren't too bad, or they would not even want to meet him..right?  
  
Still, what if screwed things up? He probably wouldn't, but what if he  _did_?  
  
It was thoughts like these that led to Virgil chewing on his thumbnail while he worked up the courage to toss the Floo Powder into the fire. His mother gave him a knowing look.   
  
 _"The more you dawdle, the harder it's going to get. Just toss the Floo Powder into the fire and get it over with,"_  Renilda told him. Virgil took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tossed the powder into the fire.  
  
Immediately, the fire turned emerald green. Virgil knew that he had to act now. He stepped into the fire. "Dicax home," he announced as loudly and clearly as he could, hoping that the slight tremble in his voice would not make a difference.  
  
It didn't.  
  
He found himself in a living room, greeted by a delighted noise.  _"I don't think I'll ever get used to that...not that I would want to! Floo is so fascinating!"_  a woman, presumably Logan's mother, eyed the fireplace - and Virgil - in excitement.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I guess," Virgil muttered in response, unsure how to respond to that but not wanting to appear too rude.

 _"...my bad, I'm fussing over the Floo Powder and not our guest! You must be Virgil!"_  she said with a smile.  
  
"And you must be Mrs. Dicax?" Virgil half-asked, half-guessed.  
  
 _"You'd be correct! Tara Dicax, it's a pleasure to meet you. Logan has told us so much about you!"_ Mrs. Dicax said with a beam.  _"Are you really a pureblood? Does that mean you don't know that much about the non-magic world? Have you ever watched a TV show or a movie?"_  
  
Virgil blinked, feeling overwhelmed from the sheer number of questions. It was therefore a relief when Logan stepped into the room alongside a man who looked like an older version of himself.  
  
 _"Tara, try not to frighten our guest too badly. She loves magic, finds it all fascinating. As fascinating as I find the Muggle world, incidentally,"_  the man smiled.  _"Armand Dicax, at your service."_  
  
Mr. Dicax held out a hand for Virgil to shake. Virgil hesitated for a couple of seconds before meeting Logan's father's hand with his own.  
  
 _"My father works in the Muggle Worthy Excuse Committee and my mother is a scientist,"_  Logan explained.  
  
 _"If I can't have the sort of magic you two have, I just have to make some magic of my own!"_  Mrs. Dicax grinned. He could see where Logan got his curiosity and love of learning - though Logan himself was a half-blood, his father was a wizard with an interest in Muggle-life while his mother was a Muggle fascinated by magic and science alike.   
  
He liked them, he decided. He just hoped that they would like him in return.  
  
 _"So, tell us about yourself Virgil,"_  Mr. Dicax said, looking to Virgil expectantly. Virgil looked taken aback.  
  
"I...hasn't Logan already told you a lot?" Virgil stalled for time.  
  
 _"He has, but we'd like to hear from your perspective!"_  Mrs. Dicax responded.  
  
"Uh, okay." Where did he even begin? Talking about oneself, especially when put on the spot, was not the easiest job in the world. "My name..."  
  
 _"We already know your name, tell us about you. What do you like to do, what is your family like, what is it like growing up pureblood..."_  Mrs. Dicax prodded him on.  
  
"OH. Uh, favorite subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts?"   
  
 _"And what is it that you like about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"_  Mrs. Dicax asked eagerly.  
  
 _"Mother, I think Virgil would like a moment to relax after his trip. Perhaps we can play twenty questions at a later time?"_  Logan interrupted.  
  
 _"Oh...of course, my bad, I just got a little overly excited is all. Logan, you may show him upstairs if you would like?"_  Mrs. Dicax looked a little dejected, but not altogether upset.  
  
"It was nice to meet both of you," Virgil blurted out to Logan's parents as Logan led him to the stairs. Virgil kept close to Logan as the latter led him into what he could only assume was his bedroom. It was well-kept, and save for the bed looking a little messy and a telescope with a book open near it in the corner, it hardly looked as if anyone lived in the room.  
  
 _"I apologize, Virgil. My mother, she treats magic like it's the newest scientific breakthrough..."_ Logan muttered.  
  
Virgil let out a small chuckle. "Its fine, it's just...a lot, at first." He needed a bit of time to adjust,  _then_  he would be able to answer Logan's mother's questions better.  
  
Logan seemed to relax a little at this. It was at that point that it hit Virgil. "You were nervous too," he realized.  
  
 _"I was not. I was merely concerned as to how you and my parents might get along with one another,"_  Logan hastily explained.  
  
Virgil let out a few more chuckles, shaking his head. Logan would not admit to it, but he was nervous, Virgil could tell. "Your parents seem cool."  
  
 _"...by cool I assume you do not mean low in temperature..."_  
  
"Cool is good, Logan. It's a good thing," Virgil grinned. "They don't hate me, so that's always a plus."  
  
 _"I suppose, but those are rather low standards to go by,"_  Logan observed with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"When your biological father doesn't meet those standards, you'll find they're higher than you think," Virgil commented with a shrug. There was a point in time where this would have bothered Virgil more, but now? Now it was just tragic that Linus' own prejudice was more important to him than his own family.

Logan opened his mouth as if to say something, then seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth again. 


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the summer passed fairly quickly, and soon the group was ready to meet at Platform 9 3/4 to begin their final year at Hogwarts. Well, all except for Astrit, who would be entering his fifth year.

Virgil was bidding farewell to Renilda. Not only did she make him promise to write regularly, but she also made him promise not to wind up in a hospital bed by the end of the school year.  
  
"I'll do my best, Mom," Virgil assured her.  
  
He couldn't make any promises, though.  
  
He climbed onto the Hogwarts Express, quickly finding a compartment with Logan, Roman, Patton, Era, and Astrit.  
  
 _"Ah, NEWT year. Should be exciting,"_  Logan remarked.  
  
Roman looked at him as if he had two heads.  _"That is how you start us off for the year? Discussing NEWTs? The exams that will determine whether we will follow our dreams or be forced to seek out new paths? No pressure there or anything."_  
  
"...jeez, and I thought  _I_  was worried," Virgil arched an eyebrow. Well, Renilda was correct in her assumption that Virgil wasn't the only one in his group of friends nervous about their impending 7th year.  
  
  _"I'm sorry, it's just...I would really like to be an auror, and if I don't earn the right NEWTs, I might as well kiss that career path goodbye."_  Roman sighed.  
  
Virgil frowned, glancing briefly out the window as he sorted through his own thoughts on the matter. He thought that  _his_  predicament was bad - Being in his 7th year and not having a clear path set in mind for what he wanted to do after Hogwarts.   
  
Roman's remarks made him realize that the  _opposite_  could pose just as much of an issue. Roman had a path in mind, but he had to meet certain prerequisites in order to follow that career path. If he did not earn the proper grades, he would have to completely rewrite his plans. And knowing how much stock Roman put into following his dreams? No wonder he was stressed at the prospect of losing out on them.  
  
 _"Sheesh. I was nervous about OWLs, but you guys are sure making me feel better about taking those,"_  Astrit admitted.  
  
 _"Don't worry, OWLs are their own sort of stressful!"_  Patton told him cheerfully.  
  
Virgil watched as Astrit's eyes widened. "Uh, Patton?"   
  
 _"Yep Virge?"_  
  
"You  _probably_  shouldn't have said that in such a cheerful tone."  
  
 _"Why not? I was just trying to make it so that Astrit wasn't missing out on...oh, I see your point,"_ Patton frowned.  
  
 _"I think it's safe to say that we've all got a lot on our plates this semester,"_  Era declared.  
  
 _"A succinct and accurate summary, Era,"_  Logan followed.  
  
 _"Yeah, so can we_  try  _not to have any crazy prophecies, you two? I mean don't get me wrong, I will not turn down an opportunity for adventure, but it'll definitely divert our attention from our studies, and Auror School awaits me like a light at the end of this long and arduous tunnel that laymen call 'Hogwarts',"_  Roman added dramatically.  
  
 _"...okay, first off, did you just compare Hogwarts to a tunnel?"_  Logan gaped at Roman.  
  
"You say that like we have any level of  _control_  over when we give prophecies," Virgil folded his arms across his chest. "Believe me, if I did, I would have turned off that ability ages ago."

 _"Likewise,"_  Era added.  _"Believe me, it's not our cup of tea either. And besides, maybe we wouldn't have to keep making prophecies if people would stop trying to do terrible things around Hogwarts. If I recall correctly, one of those people was your own brother."_  
  
 _"Guys, guys, let's calm down and just enjoy the train ride, alright?"_  Patton blurted out, appearing grateful when the conversation turned back toward subjects that were less heated.  
  
Era and Patton began a conversation about Patton's younger siblings, and how Patton's younger sister Juniper, or Junie for short, would be starting Hogwarts that year. Logan and Roman, in the meantime, discussed their experiences with Apparition.  
  
Virgil glanced back out the window. To the casual observer, it might look as if he were merely admiring the countryside, but anyone who knew Virgil would know that the gears in his mind were turning. His left hand rested on his thigh, where he repeatedly tapped his fingers against his pant leg in rapid succession.   
  
Roman may not have  _intended_  it that way, and likely only said it in a spur of the moment outburst (he certainly had a lot of those), but the Gryffindor's commentary led Virgil to a train of thought that he found increasingly difficult to disembark from. He could not help but feel that Roman was  _tempting fate_  with his comments - that in his 'joke' to Virgil and Era that they should attempt to refrain from making any prophecies this year, he was dooming them to make at least  _one_.  
  
That and it was just their luck over these past couple of years.  
  
He tried to soothe himself with the knowledge that Deceit and Phillip were both in Azkaban, and that they'd heard nothing from Dalibor in over a year.   
  
Then he recalled that they'd never solved the mystery of who or what the Dragon Witch was in the prophecy that both he  _and_  Era made simultaneously the prior December, which meant that there was still unfinished business.

He glanced up from the window in time to see that he wasn't the only one looking out the window deep in thought. He wasn't sure what was on Astrit's mind. He thought about questioning Astrit on the matter, then decided against it. If he was anything like Virgil, he probably wouldn't want to discuss it in front of so many other people, especially after Patton worked hard to redirect the conversation toward something more positive.  
  
Besides, the Hogwarts Express was steadily chugging along the tracks toward Hogwarts. They'd be at school soon  - which was simultaneously exciting and foreboding in itself. Virgil pulled his hoodie a little tighter around himself, trying to focus on the scenery surrounding the train instead of the sensation of his heart bounding within his chest.


	4. Chapter 4

The Start Of Year Feast passed by with little in the way of fanfare. A few of the names mentioned during the sorting ceremony were familiar. Juniper Wright was sorted into Ravenclaw. There were also two Turner children, the twins that Virgil witnessed Chelsea greet alongside her older brother on Platform 9 3/4 the year before. Jillian Turner was sorted into Hufflepuff, while Willis Turner was sorted into Gryffindor.  
  
 _"That makes one Turner child in each house,"_  Chelsea announced triumphantly.  _"How often does that happen?"_  
  
 _"My family has students in three out of four of the houses now!"_  Patton chimed in.  _"Three in Hufflepuff, one in Slytherin, and one in Ravenclaw! If Mabel is sorted into Gryffindor, we just may give you a run for your money!"_  
  
 _"It is not unheard of, especially in large families, for their children to span across multiple houses,"_ Logan announced, though it didn't seem as though Chelsea or Patton were paying him any heed.  
  
 _"Chad was a Gryffindor and so was Arielle,"_  Elliott chimed in.  
  
 _"It actually sounds as if it is more common than not for siblings to find themselves sorted into differing houses,"_  Logan concluded.  
  
Virgil cleared his throat. "Not always," he commented, perhaps a bit more gruffly than he intended.  
  
 _"Ah yes, you and De...your brother were both sorted into Slytherin,"_  Logan frowned.   
  
"Worst decisions of my life," Virgil muttered.   
  
 _"Well, I wouldn't go that far,"_  Shane commented casually.  _"What about your run in with that necklace?"_  
  
 _"Oh yes, because I'm certain he wants to relive that memory over and over again the way the rest of us have over the past year and a half,"_  Era rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, picking up that necklace was probably the single biggest mistake," Virgil admitted. Not that he'd known it at the time. He thought the necklace was a gift from Roman to Patton and that Patton dropped it. He thought he was doing a favor for a friend. Instead, he became the vessel for one of the biggest threats he and his friends ever faced.  
  
But had he not picked that necklace up, someone else may have instead.  
  
Patton was undoubtedly the original target of that necklace. Deceit was going after Muggleborns, and Patton had the added bonus of being one of Virgil's best friends. Being able to target Patton? That had to feel like hitting a bullseye in the center of a dart board to Deceit.

So perhaps it  _was_  for the best that Virgil picked up that necklace. Not because of what ensued afterward, but rather because Patton may have experienced the curse of the necklace instead. And the thought of the kindest and most warm-hearted member of his group of friends living through what he had under the influence of that necklace in his 5th year? He would undergo the same experience all over again if it meant sparing Patton - or any of his other friends for that matter.

Virgil was certain that he was the last in the 7th year boys dorm to fall asleep that night. He tossed and he turned, but he could not seem to get comfortable - or to get his mind to turn off long enough to succumb to slumber.   
  
A half an hour into his efforts and the sound of Shane's  _snoring_  was making matters worse instead of better.  
  
Virgil decided to relocate. He made his way out to the Slytherin Common Room, carrying with him one of the blankets from his dorm bed. He curled up on the sofa and let out a sigh of relief as sleep finally claimed him.  
  
 _"You can not escape," a voice whispered into his ear. Virgil froze, hardly daring to move. He thought he recognized the voice, but he did not want to turn to see if he was correct.  
  
"E-Escape what?"  
  
"You are a Thompson. You cannot escape that any more than Astrit can escape his fate as a descendant of the Petrović family."  
  
That all but confirmed the identity of the voice.  
  
"You will both take your proper place whether you wish to or not. You are trapped by your legacy," Dalibor continued in his softly accented voice, deep-seated amusement seeping into every word.  
  
"No, we're not," Virgil cut in suddenly.  
  
"Oh? You're not? Is your last name not Thompson? Is Astrit's last name not Zhupan?" Dalibor let out a low chuckle.  
  
"No, we're not trapped," Virgil told him, turning toward the man.  
  
"Oh? I have you in my sights. How is that not trapped? How do you plan to escape me?" Dalibor's face was shrouded by shadows, but he still stood out as a dark, intimidating man.  
  
But Virgil was strangely not intimidated. In fact, he smirked, something that he was delighted to see made Dalibor flinch backward. "I don't need to escape you," Virgil responded, his own voice low and threatening. "Because you're not real."  
  
Dalibor let out a huff. "I moved you about the board like the chess piece that you are. Astrit fell into my grasp. I was able to harvest his blood."  
  
"Maybe so, but you can't do anything to me here."  
  
"Oh? And why is that?"  
  
"Because this is just a dream."_  
  
With that, Virgil's eyes fluttered open. He saw Elliott standing before him with a concerned expression on their face. Shane was shaking him, presumably in an attempt to wake him.  
  
 _"Lay off, Shane, he's already awake,"_  Elliott murmured.  
  
Shane retrieved his hand and shot Virgil a sheepish grin.  _"My bad. You alright man?"_  
  
Virgil shrugged. "Not exactly. Had a nightmare," he admitted.  
  
Elliott inhaled sharply.  _"That's rough."_  
  
Virgil sat up in the seat he'd fallen asleep in. "Yeah, but it all turned out alright in the end."  
  
Shane grinned.  _"That's great. Did you kick the bad guy's butt?"_  
  
Virgil snickered. "Yeah, something like that."  
  
Elliott smoothed out their skirt and looked down at their watch.  _"Well, we should probably get a move on. Class starts soon and we don't want to be late."_  
  
 _"Since when are you Logan?"_  Shane teased.  
  
Elliott arched an eyebrow.  _"Hey, I can care about my classes without taking it to the extent that Logan Dicax does."_  
  
"Yo, that's my  _boyfriend_  you two are talking about, knock it off," Virgil grumbled, haphazardly tossing his bedsheet at them.  
  
The group soon set off for class, talking and jesting the whole way. Virgil joined in as well, feeling oddly at ease after standing up to Dalibor Petrović in his nightmare.   
  
Nevertheless, there was a deep undercurrent of worry that plagued Virgil. His mind kept coming back to Dalibor's insistence that neither he nor Astrit could escape their legacy.  
  
Was this truly the case? And if so, what were they to do?


	5. Chapter 5

Virgil's first class of the new school year was Potions, which he attended alongside Logan. Elliott and Chelsea were in the class as well, and joined Virgil and Logan at their table. Virgil pulled out his Potions book and glanced toward the board. A list of ingredients was already present on the board.  
  
The Slytherin glanced over at his boyfriend, who adjusted his glasses and peered toward the board himself.  _"3 measures of fluxweed, 2 bundles of knotgrass, lacewing flies, 3 measures of boomslang skin, 1 measure of bicorn horn..."_  Logan murmured, his eyes widening.  _"Could it possibly be...?"_  
  
 _"Could it possibly be what?"_  Elliott inquired, attempting to urge Logan to continue his line of thought.  
  
Logan opened his mouth to elaborate, then appeared to think better of doing so and shook his head. A mischievous grin spread across his face instead.  
  
"...you're not going to tell us, are you?" Virgil commented with a snort. "You're going to leave us to figure it out on our own."  
  
 _"You're a cruel, cruel man, Logan Dicax,"_  Chelsea said with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.  
  
Logan chuckled.  _"It is far more entertaining this way."_  
  
Virgil rolled his eyes, but smiled to himself nevertheless. Logan could be a pain in the neck sometimes, but he was  _Virgil's_  pain in the neck. He rose to his feet. "I'll grab our supplies while you continue to torment our tablemates," he said with a wink.  
  
Or tablemate, as the case may be, as Elliott joined Virgil over at the supply cupboard.  
  
 _"I bet Chelsea is cursing me as we speak,"_  Elliott said under their breath with a snicker.   
  
"I would be cursing you too if I were her," Virgil said with a snicker of his own.  
  
They gathered up their supplies and brought them back to the table. Virgil returned, sorting out his supplies from Logan's. Logan joined in, Chelsea letting out an audible sigh of relief as he did so.  
  
 _"He wouldn't tell me. I kept asking him for clues but he wouldn't tell me!"_  Chelsea muttered in frustration.  
  
 _"Given we'll be brewing the potion in class, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. You just have to be patient,"_  Elliott urged.  
  
 _"Patient, schmatient. I want answers now,"_  Chelsea said with a huff.  
  
 _"Good morning, class,"_  a voice called out, and the majority of the students within the classroom glanced toward the front. There were two students at a table on the far side of the room who stubbornly persisted to converse with one another, but the professor cleared his throat at the front of the room and their conversation came to a halt.  
  
 _"You are seventh years, entering your highest year of magical education within this institution. As a result, the Potions that we will be brewing within this class are some of the most difficult potions that you will find in the wizarding world. Many of them will take more than one class period to brew, and some will take weeks or perhaps even months,"_  the professor informed them.   
  
Virgil noticed movement beside him and glanced to the side. He had to bite down hard on his lip to keep himself from chuckling at Logan, who was literally rubbing his hands together in excitement.  
  
 _"As you may have noticed, I have written a list of ingredients on the board. From this list, I presume that some of you may have already determined what potion we will be starting on today. Starting on, because this potion will not be completed within one class period. Can anyone name this potion for me?"_  the professor's eyes scanned the room at once.  
  
Virgil glanced around the room as well. He was relieved to see that only a few students raised their hands - including Logan, of course, who had his arm extended as high as he could reach. At least he, Elliott, and Chelsea weren't the only ones who hadn't managed to figure it out.  
  
The professor pointed to Logan.  _"What about you, Mr. Dicax?"_  
  
 _"I believe the ingredients that you have listed are ingredients that combine to create the Polyjuice Potion, sir,"_  Logan responded.  
  
 _"You would be correct, Mr. Dicax. Take 5 points for Ravenclaw house,"_  the professor declared. The class suddenly erupted into an assortment of murmurs, Virgil's table adding to the cacophany.  
  
 _"...you won't even let me stay mad at you. You just earned points for Ravenclaw,"_  Chelsea said with a sigh.  
  
 _"The Polyjuice Potion? The professor wasn't joking when he said that we'd be brewing some of the most difficult potions in the wizarding world! My older brother tried brewing it in his 7th year and wound up in the hospital wing for a week while they tried to sort out which attributes belonged to which person. He apparently brewed the potion in such a way that he was trapped halfway between his own form and that of the person he was supposed to transform into..."_  Elliott snickered.  _"Further proof that contrary to what my dad thinks, Chad The Great is capable of screwing up royally."_  
  
Virgil let out a shudder at the thought of being trapped halfway between his own form and that of someone else. Elliott might be pleased to hear that their much adored, supposedly  _perfect_ brother made a mistake (and were Virgil in Elliott's shoes and  _Lionel_  was the one to make such a mistake, he'd probably feel similarly), but instead his mind opted to focus on what could go  _wrong_  with such a complex potion.  
  
"Yeah, well, we need to be super careful with this potion, then, and make sure that we don't mess anything up. We've already spent enough time in the Hospital Wing collectively that we could probably open up our own ward in it by now," Virgil said with a sigh.  
  
 _"I don't mess potions up,"_  Logan said with a huff, folding his arms across his chest as if it were absurd to even suggest such a foolish thing. Virgil opened his mouth, about to remind his boyfriend of the incident in their fifth year when Logan accidentally added a tad too much of a certain ingredient and his potion began to give off purple smoke, but closed his mouth and shook his head instead, thinking better of it.  _"...nevertheless, I agree. We must be careful not to make any mistakes. The stakes are higher with potions like these than they are with lower level potions, and thus greater care must be taken to ensure the quality of said potion."_  
  
 _"Not gonna lie, I almost_  want  _to mess it up to see what would happen,"_  Chelsea stated, a small grin on her face that hastily fell when she saw the way that Virgil and Logan looked at her.  _"I wouldn't actually do it! It's just...from a certain perspective, it would make an interesting experiment, seeing what sorts of transformations might come about from a Polyjuice Potion made slightly wrong."_  
  
 _"...that would be neat,"_  Elliott agreed, a small smile working its way across their features.  
  
"What the hell, guys?" Virgil stared at them in increasing horror.  
  
 _"No one is making any detours!"_  Logan reiterated.  _"We are following the directions as stated in our books and on the board. That is final."_  
  
Chelsea let out a chuckle.  _"I wasn't_  actually  _going to make any changes to the formula. I was just screwing around, like you were with me earlier. Payback sucks, doesn't it?"_  she smirked, sticking out her tongue.  
  
Virgil let out a sigh of relief, glad that neither Chelsea nor Elliott were being serious about their desire to 'experiment' with a highly dangerous, highly complicated potion.  
  
The class soon set to work on their potions. By the time the end of the class period came about, it was time to let their potions brew for several hours.  
  
 _"As all of you have Pewter Cauldrons, your potions will need to brew for the next 24 hours. If any of you had brass cauldrons, you would have had to wait only 1224 minutes, and those with copper cauldrons would only wait 18 hours. That being said, pewter cauldrons work best for our purposes at any rate - your potions should be ready in time for our next class together. For the rest of the class, I would like you to begin work on a short essay denoting the uses and dangers associated with the Polyjuice Potion. It will be due by Friday. What you do not finish in class, I expect you to finish in your spare hours within the next couple of days. Get to it!"_  the professor announced, and the students set to work.  
  
By the time Potions class finally let out, Virgil had a few paragraphs written. It was somehow a lot easier for him to think of the dangers associated with Polyjuice Potion, but he'd already considered a few practical uses for it as well.  
  
 _"The Polyjuice Potion, this is so invigorating! I wonder what other Potions we may learn to brew this year? Veritaserum? Felix Felicis?"_  Logan spoke at the speed of a child on a sugar high, and Virgil told him as much.  
  
 _"I suppose that I might be on some sort of high, when you put it that way...one might even say that I am high on SCIENCE!"_ Logan declared, pumping his fist up in the air in triumph.  
  
Virgil burst into laughter, unable to contain himself any longer.  
  
His laughs died abruptly when he witnessed Paige running up to Chelsea out of the corner of his eye. Paige said something to Chelsea, and Chelsea's hand flew to her mouth.  _"Oh no! Is she okay?"_  
  
"Is who okay?" Virgil frowned, shooting a glance at Logan...but Logan appeared just as confused as he was and shrugged back.  
  
 _"I believe something has happened to Era,"_  Elliott said with a frown.  _"Right, Paige?"_  
  
Paige nodded, turning her attention to Virgil and Logan this time. She looked frantic.  _"We thought Era was taking ill in our last class period, but she wasn't...she slipped into a trance in the middle of class. She made another prophecy!"_


	6. Chapter 6

The group met as soon as possible in their usual abandoned classroom.   
  
_"You know, it's gonna be strange when we're all gone next year. Whatever will this room be used for, and who will use it? Will they tarnish its proud legacy?"_  Roman announced as he entered the room, practically throwing himself into one of the chairs and letting out a long sigh.  
  
_"..it is just a room, Roman,"_  Logan responded with an arched brow.  
  
Virgil turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat near the door. Astrit apparently entered the classroom not long after Virgil, Logan, Roman, and Patton did - and judging by the expression on Astrit's face, he found something amusing.  
  
_"Don't worry, I'll make sure my other friends and I put this room to good use after you guys are gone. Your legacy will continue on,"_  he grinned, taking a seat near Roman.  
  
"That's five of us...where are the others?" Virgil questioned.  
  
_"Elliott and Shane are on their way, and Chelsea, Era, and Paige will be arriving together from what I heard,"_  Patton responded, counting off each name as on his hand as he did so.  
  
_"Are there really ten of us now? Goodness. And to think, we originally started off with just five...we have doubled our numbers in less than two years!"_  Roman looked utterly flabbergasted.  
  
_"I should probably warn you guys ahead of time...Era, Paige, and Chelsea might be running a little late. Chelsea's playing 20 questions and fussing over Era. They started dating a few months_  after  _Era gave her last prophecy before this one, so it's her first time dealing with the whole thing. I think she's a little panicked about the whole thing,"_  Astrit broke in.  
  
At that point the door opened once more, and Elliott and Shane stepped in.  _"Hey guys, sorry we're...oh, we're not late?"_  Shane blurted out.  
  
"Nope," Virgil responded. "We're still waiting on the guest of honor."  
  
Elliott and Shane each took a seat. Roman tried to break up the tension by attempting to start a staring contest with anyone who was willing to participate, but no one was willing to do so aside from Patton. Roman was forced to abandon his attempt after the fourth try, as Patton inevitably fell into a fit of laughter less than a minute into each attempt.  
  
_"Patton, you're not supposed to giggle!"_  Roman sighed in frustration.  
  
_"I knoooow! But it's hard not to! You're so cute!"_  Patton beamed.  
  
A reluctant smile made its way onto Roman's face.  _"Awww, you're cute too Pat."_  The two leaned forward and gave each other a peck on the lips. Just as they began to pull away from one another, the door creaked open once more.  
  
_"Sorry we're late!"_  Chelsea called out.  _"I had a few questions that I wanted to ask Era one on one before we met as a group..."_  
  
_"How is it one on one if Paige was there?"_  Elliott pointed out.  
  
_"...alright, one on two. Still, a lot easier to ask your girlfriend personal questions when you're not in a large group like this,"_ she gestured to the rest of the room.  
  
_"Eh, prophecies aren't really anything special around here. You'll find that Era and Virgil tend to slip into a trance every month or so, predicting doom and gloom and the like. You'll get used to it,"_ Roman gave a casual shrug.  
  
Chelsea looked alarmed.  _"Are you...you're exaggerating, right?"_  
  
"Of course he's exaggerating. It's once every  _few_  months, not once every month," Virgil commented with a roll of his eyes.

Chelsea remained considerably paler than she was when she first entered the room.  
  
_"In any event, we are all presented and accounted for. Shall we get this meeting underway?"_  Logan announced, raising his voice slightly so as to be heard by everyone in the room.  
  
Era, Paige, and Chelsea took their seats.  
  
_"I believe the first order of business is determining what the contents of the prophecy are and proceeding from there,"_  Logan continued.  _"Era, would you be willing to do the honors?"_  
  
_"Why, because I'm the one who gave the prophecy? I wasn't exactly aware of what I was doing at the time. If you want the exact words, Paige is probably your best bet,"_  Era replied.  
  
_"Alright then,"_  Logan turned to Paige.  _"Paige, do you mind?"_  
  
Paige looked stricken, but then seemed to compose herself. She held a hand to her mouth as she cleared her throat.

 _"A child will be taken and led astray. Pain and anguish will ensue. Fret not, as the lost child will be found and brought back home - alas, this course of events will lead to lasting consequences for those who choose to involve themselves,"_  Paige revealed.  
  
 _"Well that's not foreboding in the least,"_  Elliott observed, throwing in a scoff for added effect.

"Pain and anguish? Yeah, that makes me feel  _real_  good about this one," Virgil chimed in with his own sarcastic retort.  
  
_"...are all of the prophecies you guys give this doom-y and gloom-y?"_  Chelsea asked, scanning the room as if a single look at any of their faces would provide the answer she sought.  
  
The truth, of course, was a bit more complicated than that.  
  
_"Pretty much, yeah,"_  Shane said with a shrug.  
  
Era looked at Shane incredulously.  _"How would you know? You and Elliott have only been here for one of them."_

 _"He's not exactly _wrong_  though. Have we ever had a prophecy that didn't foretell something troubling?" _Virgil admitted.  
_  
_"So now that we know what the prophecy says...our next goal is to figure out what it means and prevent it from happening, right?"_  _Chelsea looked to the others with a hopeful smile...only for said smile to drop abruptly when she saw that no one smiled back. _  
  
_"Yeah...that's usually not how it works out, we've found,"_  _Roman said with a sigh. _  
  
_"Which is not to dismiss the worth of looking into what the prophecy may mean,"_  _Logan added. _  
  
_"It's just that...we've found that more often than not, the prophecies Era and Virgil tell tend to come true,"_  _Astrit confessed. __"In one way or another. Whether this is because they cannot be prevented, or because we've never been able to act in time to prevent them remains to be seen..."_  
  
"I'm fairly certain that it is the latter, to be fair," _Logan remarked. __"In addition, each person who hears a prophecy may interpret it differently, meaning that two different people may come to two entirely different conclusions about a single prophecy despite the words of said prophecy remaining the exact same."_  
  
"So...what? We just sit around and wait for it to happen?" _Chelsea sounded almost frantic. _  
  
_"Nope...it just means that we do what we can with what little information we have,"__  Era replied.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Virgil supposed that he should not have been as surprised by Astrit's request for their first tutoring session of the year, but it caught him off guard nevertheless. "So, what do you want to study today?" he asked Astrit, figuring they might go over a review at first if Astrit had nothing in particular he wanted to try first.  
  
 _"Could we try working on the Patronus Charm again?"_

Virgil blinked, taken aback by the request. He thought Astrit wanted to hold off on the Patronus Charm for a while. "I thought you wanted to..."  
  
 _"I did, but its been a few months. I figured I could give it another try,"_  Astrit said with a shrug.  _"If it doesn't work this time we can come back to it again in another few months."_  
  
That was solid enough reason for Virgil, and he was glad that he hadn't slipped on his own Patronus practice during summer break. He just hoped that Astrit wouldn't push himself to the near breaking point the way he had last time. He supposed he ought to keep an extra close eye on Astrit this time to make sure.

"Do you remember how to cast it?" Virgil questioned.  
  
Astrit nodded.  _"I do."_  He cleared his throat and extended his wand.  _"Expecto Patronum!"_  
  
Nothing happened, just as Virgil expected. And, by the looks of it, as Astrit expected as well.  _"Alright, well, that's enough of that..."_  he remarked, moving to stash his wand back in his pocket.  
  
"Wait, what?" Virgil stared. Astrit was going to give it one try and give up? Hadn't he told Astrit the year before that  _no one_ got it on their first try? He squared up his shoulders, getting ready to try to talk some sense into Astrit...then took a closer look at Astrit.  
  
Astrit had a mischievous grin on his face.  _"Just kidding!"_  
  
Virgil let out a massive sigh of relief. "Okay, good." He frowned as he considered something. "Maybe you could try watching me cast it and see if it gives you any ideas?" Virgil suggested.  
  
 _"Its worth a shot,"_  Astrit responded.  
  
Virgil took a deep breath. Despite being the one to suggest it, he still felt nervous knowing that he was about to do this under someone's watchful gaze. How bad would it look if he tried to cast the Patronus Charm to show Astrit how it was done and  _fail to cast the Patronus Charm_?

Virgil closed his eyes, focusing on his kiss with Logan at New Years the year before. "Expecto Patronum!" he called out, opening his eyes in time to see the cheetah burst forth. It began to prowl around the room, and Astrit watched it with interested eyes.  
  
 _"What sort of animal do you think I'll have?"_  he asked.  
  
It wasn't the sort of question Virgil was expecting, nor did he know how to answer it. He'd considered what Astrit's patronus may be when he taught him the year before, but he'd never settled on one animal that he thought suited Astrit the most. Some sort of bird, similar to Era's? Only time would tell, but Virgil figured that it would be something fitting for Astrit.

Astrit continued to try, not just during this tutoring session but for a few sessions afterward. He was able to conjure up a silvery mist, but repeated attempts yielded no more than this. He still could not cast a corporeal Patronus.   
  
The 5th year did not run off as he had before, but Virgil could tell that Astrit was dejected nevertheless. And...oddly accepting of the whole thing once he decided that it was finally time to throw in the towel and give it a try at a later date.  
  
"Y'know, it's not all that surprising that you haven't been able to cast it yet. The rest of us all learned the charm in our 6th year." Virgil doubted the words would help Astrit much - They certainly wouldn't help  _Virgil_  much if their roles were reversed - but he felt the need to say  _something_.  
  
He wasn't expecting Astrit to turn and give a small shrug of his shoulders.  _"Or I'll never be able to do it."_  
  
"...dude, don't talk like that. We can revisit the whole thing in a few months like we originally talked about,"[/i] the Slytherin said with a frown.   
  
 _"We can, but I don't know how successful it will be,"_  Astrit slipped his wand back into his pocket.  _"Dark wizards can't cast patronuses, right?"_  
  
"That's...generally dark wizards either don't or can't cast patronuses, but that's not a done deal. There's been dark wizards who could cast them in the past according to Logan, but they're not very common," Virgil explained, lifting an eyebrow as he looked closely at Astrit. "Please tell me you're not suggesting that you think you're a dark wizard."  
  
 _"Not exactly..."_  
  
"Not exactly isn't a  _no_ , Astrit."  
  
Astrit let out a sigh, kicking at the ground with the front of his shoe.  _"I know I'm...I don't think I'm a dark wizard, not right now at least, but what's to say I don't have that potential inside of me and that's why I can't cast the spell?"_  
  
"I don't think it works that way," Virgil said with a shake of his head. "But that doesn't answer my question. Why is this a concern of yours?"  
  
 _"Because I can't cast a Patronus, so there must be a reason why I can't,"_  Astrit replied flatly.  _"And it's not like I would be the first in the family to showcase dark tendencies. Dalibor Petrović, anyone?"_  
  
Comprehension washed over Virgil like a wave. So  _that's_  what this was about. Astrit was comparing himself to a member of his family with a known connection to dark magic - something that was likely piling on to insecurities that he already had.  
  
Virgil certainly knew what that was like. "You're not Dalibor Petrović. You're not anything like him."  
  
 _"How would you know? You've never met him. Our only experiences with him were when he possessed you."_  
  
"Uh, yeah, and I was aware of everything that happened in that cavern under the Forbidden Forest. I got a pretty good idea of what that creep was like, and you're  _nothing like him_ ," Virgil insisted.  
  
 _"Either way, I think I'd like to hang this up for now and come back to it later if you don't mind?"_  Astrit let out a begrudging sigh.  
  
Virgil doubted he'd get any further with Astrit, and he responded with a nod. Perhaps Astrit realized it and perhaps he didn't, but Virgil did score at least one victory in his conversation with Astrit - Astrit admitted that he  _was_  willing to give another try, which was better than where their conversation started off. 


	8. Chapter 8

Virgil was headed out of the Great Hall after dinner when he spotted Logan staring at a notice on the wall. He'd been about to head back to the Slytherin Common Room to work on homework, but curiosity won over and he joined his boyfriend at the wall.  
  
"Whatcha looking at?" Virgil asked, trying to look over Logan's shoulder.  
  
Logan gave a slight jolt, then stepped to the side slightly so that Virgil could look at what was posted there.  
  
"New classes?" One of the sign-up sheets read 'Alchemy' at the top.   
  
Logan nodded.  _"I believe that I will try my hand at all three of them. They all look to be intriguing."_  
  
Virgil looked at the other two sheets, which read 'Occlumency' and 'Legilimancy'. "It says these classes are only open to 6th and 7th years..."  
  
_"Awww darn, and I really wanted to try my hand at Alchemy,"_  Astrit's voice announced from behind them. It was Virgil's turn to jump this time.  
  
This was followed by laughter from Era, who'd walked out of the Great Hall alongside her brother.  _"Guess you're just going to have to wait until next year,"_  Era told him.  
  
_"What if these classes aren't an option next year? What if they're only for this year?"_  Astrit wondered aloud, frowning.  
  
_"There is a chance of that happen. I suppose it depends on the availability of the professors that will be teaching said classes. It says that they will be optional night classes two times a week in the case of Occlumency and Legilimancy and one night a week for Alchemy, so it sounds like they will be treated as something similar to school clubs. I also believe that it will come down to the demand for said classes - if enough students show interest, it offers more incentive for the classes to be offered again in the future,"_  Logan mused.  
  
"So basically...sign up for these classes so Astrit can sign up next year? I'm down," Virgil said with a snort.  
  
_"Wait, really? I would have thought you would have been hesitant to sign up for any of these clubs after Apparition last year,"_  Era observed.  
  
"Apparition was something that I was hesitant about from the get go. This is different. I  _know_  I want to take this class." And indeed, Virgil's voice was confident as he spoke.  
  
Logan stepped away from the sign-up sheets after jotting his name onto every list. Era stepped forward next and put her name under both 'Occlumency' and 'Legilimancy'.  
  
Since Astrit could not put his name under  _any_  of the lists, Virgil figured that it was his turn and stepped forward, signing his name under Occlumency.  
  
_"Only Occlumency?"_  Logan furrowed his brow.  _"Why, may I ask?"_  
  
"I already worry  _enough_  about what people think. I don't want to risk actually  _hearing_  what they think," Virgil said with a snort. "Keeping people from knowing what I'm thinking though...that I can get behind."   
  
_"What's this about keeping people from hearing what you're thinking?"_  announced Elliott. Virgil jumped again, as did Astrit.   
  
"Honestly, can people stop sneaking up behind us?" Virgil grumbled.  
  
_"Not our fault you're paying more attention to the sign-up sheets than what's going on around you,"_  Elliott countered.  _"Alchemy, Occlumency, and Legilimancy? Neat."_  
  
_"Do you want to sign up for any of them, El?"_  Shane asked them.   
  
Elliott shook their head.  _"Nah."_  
  
_"Well I think I'm going to sign up for Alchemy!"_  With that, Shane stepped forward and placed his name under Alchemy.   
  
Paige and Chelsea were the next two to exit the Great Hall. Chelsea quickly stepped forward to sign up for Occlumency and Legilimancy.  
  
_"Because your girlfriend is taking those two?"_  Roman teased as he approached the group.  
  
Chelsea huffed.  _"No, because as a journalist both abilities may come in handy. Era being in both of those classes is just an added bonus."_  She grinned and took Era's hand into hers, giving it a small squeeze.  
  
Paige, on the other hand, opted not to take any of the classes. Roman signed up for all three, surprising Logan who was the only other one in their group to do so.  
  
_"You wish to take all three classes as well?"_  Logan blinked.  
  
Roman let out a snort.  _"What, you think you're the only one who can do that? I'm legitimately interested in all three classes. It may be a lot of work, but I feel that it will be worth it in the end!"_  
  
_"What about Quidditch practice?"_  Astrit pointed out.  
  
_"I'll have to make certain that these classes do not interfere with any practices, but so long as they do not I will remain in all three,"_  Roman said with a nod.  _"And what about you, my dear Patton?"_  Roman stepped aside so as to let Patton step up to the board.  
  
_"It's okay, I'll pass,"_  Patton said with a shrug.  
  
Roman looked surprised.  _"You're not going to take any of the extra classes?"_  
  
Patton shook his head.  _"I'm not really interested in any of them. Now if there was a Healing class I'd be all over it, but none of these are really my thing. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun, though!"_  
  
Roman's smile fell slightly. It was obvious, at least to Virgil, that Roman had been hoping to spend some extra time with Patton during these classes, and if Patton was taking none of the classes and Roman was taking all of them? That meant that he would have less free time to spend with Patton.  
  
Roman glanced back at the sign-up sheets.  _"I will see if any of them interfere with Quidditch, and if they do, I will drop at least one of them,"_  he repeated, more to himself than anything else.

Virgil glanced back at the Occlumency sign-up sheet. Apparently the first class for Occlumency would be held the next Tuesday. That didn't give them much time to prepare, but Virgil supposed that the first class period of any class tended to be an introductory class anyway. Nevertheless, he could not help but hope that he would be adequately prepared for the first class when it came around...


	9. Chapter 9

Virgil and Elliott had to listen to Shane go on about Alchemy all day. He apparently absolutely  _loved_  the class, and was upset that he could only take it once a week.  
  
 _"You guys got lucky, with Legilimancy and Occlumency each running twice a week,"_  Shane said with a sigh.  
  
 _"You're almost making_  me  _want to take Alchemy now,"_  Elliott said to Shane.  _"Have you considered going into a career in advertising? Because you're good at playing things up."_  
  
Shane shrugged.  _"Hey, I just liked the class!"_  
  
Elliott turned to Virgil.  _"Don't you have Occlumency today?"_  
  
Virgil nodded. "Yeah, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Legilimancy has Wednesdays and Fridays."  
  
 _"I'm surprised you didn't take Legilimancy too, Virge. Don't they usually go hand in hand?"_  Shane questioned.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. "Like I said to Logan, I don't really  _want_  to know what other people are thinking. I worry enough about that as it is."  
  
 _"I feel you on that one,"_  Elliott said, holding up their hand. Virgil met their hand, thus completing the high-five.  
  
Virgil turned to Shane, curious about something. "Who taught Alchemy?"  
  
 _"Oh...I believe she's also the Arithmancy professor? I dunno, I don't take Arithmancy, but I think Logan mentioned that he has her for Arithmancy too,"_  Shane told him.  
  
"So they  _are_  using professors from regular classes. That answers that question," Virgil responded. He wondered who would be at the helm of Occlumency.  
  
Virgil met up with Logan and Roman after dinner. Era and Chelsea already set off for the class together. Virgil and Logan had to wait an uncomfortably long time for Roman to say goodbye to Patton.   
  
 _"Roman, this is not the dramatic climax to an action movie where there is a chance that the main character may never see his love interest again. You will see Patton after class. Now let's go,"_  Logan urged, and finally Roman and Patton gave each other a peck on the lips. He then hurried after Virgil and Logan.  
  
 _"Just because you and Virgil aren't that touchy feely doesn't mean that you have to shame others for it,"_  Roman said after a while.  
  
 _"It has nothing to do with how touchy feely Virgil and I are, it has to do with punctuality. I do not wish to be late for our first class. Besides, there are many ways to show someone that you love and care for them. Being 'touchy feely', as you call it, is merely one way,"_  Logan huffed.  
  
The group was relatively silent once they reached the classroom. Logan opened the door and the three stepped inside. They quickly found Era and Chelsea and took a seat near them.  
  
 _"The professor's not here yet?"_  Logan said with a frown.  
  
 _"See, we didn't have to be in such a rush after all!"_  Roman retorted.  
  
 _"What's your deal?"_  Era commented with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"They've been arguing the whole way here," Virgil let out a sigh.  
  
 _"I wonder who's teaching the class?"_  Chelsea wondered out loud.   
  
This, thankfully, drew Roman's attention from Logan. Virgil made a mental note to thank Chelsea later on. Even if it wasn't intentional on her part, it certainly did the trick.  _"Professor Goodwin, maybe? Occlumency could be seen as a Defense Against the Dark Arts, so it would fit under her subject..."_  
  
 _"Good evening, class! I apologize for my tardiness, I was grading a few papers. Looks like we have a nice group here!"_  the professor announced, causing the class to fall silent and turn to gaze at her.  
  
"Professor Avenir?" Virgil blurted out before he could stop himself.  
  
 _"Huh, a Divination professor teaching Occlumency. I would not have expected that. I suppose she must be an Occlumens though, else she would not be qualified to teach the class,"_ Logan mused, barely audible to anyone other than those closest to him. So Virgil, who sat next to him on one side, and maybe Chelsea, who sat on the other side of him.  
  
A hand shot up in the air on the other side of the room.  _"Are you an Occlumens, then?"_  
  
 _"Of course she is, why else would she be teaching the class? I hope we do not have to put up with such ridiculous questions for the rest of the class period,"_  Logan muttered under his breath.  
  
Virgil had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing and drawing unwanted attention to himself.  
  
  _"Not just an Occlumens, but a Legilimens as well!"_  Professor Avenir said. An appreciative murmur crept over their class.  
  
 _"Will you be teaching Legilimancy too, then?"_  Roman asked.  
  
 _"No, that will be Professor Goodwin. I considered Legilimancy as well, but the demands on my schedule would be too much. In any case, my skill as an Legilimens should help, as it will offer you a chance to tests your abilities against a certified Legilimens. It should serve as a good barometer of how you are coming along in class at any rate,"_  she said with a smile.  
  
Virgil tensed up at the implications of that. "Wait, so we're getting our minds read in this class? That's the whole reason I..." He swallowed, letting out a shaky sigh. "The whole reason I'm taking this class. I  _don't_  want people reading my mind."  
  
 _"How else are you going to learn how to guard your mind unless you practice against something you're guarding against, though?"_  Era pointed out.  
  
He supposed that she had a point.  
  
 _"To begin with, you must clear your mind to the best of your ability. If you do so properly, a Legilimens will be able to see little to none of the contents within your mind. One of the marks of a good Occlumens is being able to detect when someone is employing Legilimancy against you, and being able to place up your shields at a moment's notice. I do not expect you to be able to do that in one class period, of course - but I do hope to see some progress as class goes on,"_  Professor Avenir informed them.  
  
For all that he felt about her teaching Divination, Professor Avenir seemed much more in her element here. He'd always doubted that Professor Avenir was a Seer like himself and Era, but an Occlumens? That he could believe much more easily.  
  
Chelsea stepped up when Professor Avenir asked for a volunteer. Virgil expected Logan to, as he was often one who volunteered first in class, but Logan rapidly shook his head. He looked oddly pale, which surprised Virgil.  
  
As expected, Chelsea was ill-prepared to perform Occlumency, and Professor Avenir proceeded to announce in front of the entire class Chelsea's concerns on how her younger brother and sister were getting on at Hogwarts, where she was going to find the next big story for Hogwarts Herald...and how  _cute_ Era Kastrati looked when she wore her hair down.  
  
Chelsea took the first two revelations in stride, but the first had her blushing. Not as much as Era, though, whose face was as red as the fabric on her Gryffindor robes.  
  
One more student stepped up before the end of class came, Virgil grateful that he hadn't had to go up in front of Professor Avenir and have his mind read for the entire class to hear.   
  
 _"I really hope that she does not intend to do that for all of us, that would be incredibly off-putting,"_  Logan murmured as the five of them walked out of the classroom together. Patton was already waiting outside and Roman ran up to him immediately, pulling him into his arms and kissing him as if he hadn't seen Patton in a month.   
  
"Yeah...if she's gonna do that with all of us I think I'd rather drop the class," Virgil said with a shudder.  
  
Chelsea shrugged.  _"I don't think she plans on doing it in front of everyone like she did with that Hufflepuff and I. I think she just wanted a couple of volunteers so we could see how it was done."_  
  
"I hope you're right," Virgil muttered. "Cause like I said, if she pulls something like that on me and starts reading out my thoughts to the entire class like a diary, I'm walking out right then and there."  
  
Virgil wasn't sure what to make of Occlumency, all said and done. He wanted to learn it, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to subject himself to the methods it took to learn such a thing...


	10. Chapter 10

Virgil made his way into the Potions classroom, setting his bag down next to his desk. He glanced over at Logan, who looked excited for some reason - and that made Virgil feel nervous. More nervous than usual, anyway. "Logan? Are you okay?"  
  
_"I am feeling particularly enthused for this class. Do you recognize the date?"_  Logan was unable to keep a grin from creeping onto his face.   
  
Virgil slowly lowered himself into his chair, eyeing Logan in concern. "...Wednesday...?"  
  
Logan let out a series of chortles.  _"One month has passed since we set aside our Polyjuice Potions to stew."_

"...we're testing them today, aren't we?" Virgil realized.  
  
_"I believe so. We have conducted every other part of the preparation process - All that is left is to test the final product."_  
  
_"Test the final product?"_  Elliott asked as they took a seat near Virgil and Logan.  
  
"We're testing our Polyjuice Potions today. I think. Logan says they've been stewing for a month today," Virgil explained.  
  
_"That should be interesting. Wonder if they'll let us choose who we turn into?"_  Elliott wondered.  
  
"Wait, what?" Virgil frowned.  
  
_"We're testing Polyjuice Potion. That means we add a bit of someone's hair and turn into them, right? I hope we get to choose who we partner with for that,"_  Elliott responded.  
  
Virgil did not have to glance at his own reflection to know that he'd turned a few shades paler. He hadn't even  _thought_  about that.   
  
It was going to be strange enough morphing into someone else, but what if that someone else was someone he did not know well? What if someone he didn't know well took  _his_ form? It was already going to be strange enough seeing someone turn into him. The least he could hope was that it would be one of his friends.  
  
_"If we get to choose, how would we divvy it up?"_  Logan pondered.  
  
_"I think the tables have already decided that?"_  Chelsea remarked as she slid into the chair beside Elliott and across from Virgil.  _"You and Virgil are sitting next to each other, so you two partner up. Same with me and Elliott."_  
  
_"Elliott and I,"_  Logan corrected.  
  
Chelsea rolled her eyes.  _"You know what I mean."_  
  
A few more students entered the room before the professor did. As expected, the first thing the professor did was write 'Polyjuice Potion' on the board.

 _"Are we testing our potions today?"_  called out a Hufflepuff boy on the other side of the room.  
  
_"We are, as a matter of fact. Do note that I will observe each of your potions before you drink them to make certain that they are properly prepared. This is a potentially dangerous potion if brewed incorrectly, and I'd like to prevent any unnecessary visits to the Hospital Wing if at all possible,"_  the professor explained.  _"I would like all of you to retrieve your potions and place them in front of you. I will do a sweep of the room to make sure that your potion is acceptable and then you may take a sample of hair from your table partner."_  
  
_"See? I told you the tables would decide,"_  Chelsea announced in a triumphant whisper. They each went to fetch their potion and set it in front of themselves.   
  
Virgil made a cursory glance around the table to compare potions. All four potions looked similar. Virgil let out a sigh of relief, glad that he (hopefully) hadn't screwed anything up.  
  
The professor came by their table. In addition to glancing at each potion, he also gave each potion a light stir as if to gauge the consistency of the potion. One by one he pronounced each of their potions acceptable and told them that they could proceed to the next step.

 _"May I have some of your hair, Virgil?"_  Logan asked.  
  
Virgil let out a snort and reached up to his head, giving his hair a tug and emerging with a few spare strands that he hastily handed to Logan. "Treat them well," Virgil joked.  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow, raising his wand and neatly cutting off a few pieces of his own hair with a spell Virgil never heard of. He then handed them to Virgil, who placed them into his potion and gingerly gave it a few stirs.

 _"Should we do it all at once?"_  Elliott asked as they eyed their own potion warily. Chelsea gave her potion a sniff.  
  
_"We might as well,"_  Logan agreed, lifting his own potion. Virgil retrieved his potion as well. He supposed this was probably the best way- He might chicken out of it if he saw how others reacted to the potion before he took his own.  
  
"Alright, here we go..." Virgil muttered.  
  
_"On the count of three...one...two...three!"_  Chelsea called out.  
  
Virgil closed his eyes and drank his potion as fast as he could.

Virgil was barely able to set his container back on the table before he doubled over. He felt as if his skin was melting, and he felt prickling sensations all over his body. Virgil ground his teeth together, but was unable to fight back a groan. His eyes were closed, his faced screwed up with the pain.  
  
Soon, though, the pain began to abate. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to clear them, but his vision remained blurry. He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw a hand holding out glasses. Virgil took them and placed them on his face.  
  
Instantly the details in the room grew as clear as they were before he took the potion. A bit crisper, in fact.  
  
_"Better?"_  he heard a low voice say from beside him...lower than he was used to hearing from Logan.  
  
Virgil turned to look at his boyfriend - his boyfriend who was now the spitting image of  _him._


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of what might be considered body horror...nothing too extreme, just describing visual effects of the Polyjuice Potion, but if you feel that would bother you I would suggest skipping the latter parts of this chapter.

Virgil blinked as his doppelganger blinked back at him. Were it not for the Ravenclaw robes and lack of eyeliner, Virgil would swear that he was looking into a mirror.  
  
_"Never thought I'd see the day when Logan Dicax wore eyeliner,"_  Chelsea - no,  _Elliott_  - said with an amused smirk.  
  
_"It looks good on him,"_  Chelsea - who now looked as much like Elliott as they looked like her - said with an appraising nod.

Virgil was glad that he was seated, because he was fairly certain that he would have lost his footing upon laying eyes on Logan.  _"Virgil, you need to straighten your tie,"_  Logan said, reaching over to do just that. Logan never particularly cared what Virgil's tie looked like before, but Virgil suspected that his preoccupation had more to do with the fact that Virgil was currently polyjuiced to look like Logan. Thus it would look like  _Logan_  had a messy tie, and that was unacceptable.  
  
"Nothing else about me is, so why should my tie be?" Virgil commented, unable to keep the corners of his lips from twitching upward. See? He couldn't even keep a  _straight_  face.  
  
Chelsea and Elliott both started to laugh. Logan blinked confusedly for a few seconds before it occurred to him what Virgil said.  
  
_"I mean...I..."_  Logan cleared his throat and straightened his own tie.

 _"We should mess around with the others like this,"_  Chelsea said with an eager grin.  _"See how long it takes them to notice that something is 'off' about us."_  
  
_"I feel the need to point out that we do not know how long these potions are set to last,"_  Logan mentioned.  
  
"Says here the potion can last anywhere from ten minutes to twelve hours," Virgil read. He proceeded to place his head in his hands. "Twelve hours? I don't know if I can do this for twelve hours!"  
  
_"I'm sure it won't last twelve hours,"_  Elliott remarked.  _"Too many complications that the professor wouldn't want to be responsible for."_  
  
_"Are the four of you asking how long this potion will last?"_  the professor asked, walking up behind Virgil and Logan. Virgil very nearly fell out of his chair.  
  
_"That information would be of use to us yes,"_  Logan responded.  
  
_"The way we brewed them, they should last about one hour. Unless, of course, you did something wrong. Then you might find yourself stuck in your friend's form forever!"_  the professor said with a laugh.  
  
Virgil felt woozy. "I..."  
  
_"Pretty sure he's joking, Virgil,"_  Elliott told him.  
  
_"Of course I am!"_  The professor said jovially, giving Virgil a light slap on the back. Virgil gave another slight jolt at the sensation. It didn't hurt, it just...startled him.  _"You will be back to yourselves by the end of the class period! And on the very off chance that you aren't...we will send you along to the Hospital Wing,"_  the professor assured them.

Virgil wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that they'd (hopefully) shift back to their normal forms by the end of class, or to feel terrified at the prospect that there was still an opportunity for  _something_  to go wrong and for him to pay another visit to the Hospital Wing.  
  
_"I mean, I've never heard of a student enduring a permanent transformation via Polyjuice Potion?"_ Elliott pointed out.  
  
_"And you know that sort of thing would be Hogwarts legend if it did happen,"_  Chelsea added.  
  
Virgil supposed that they were right, but for someone who thought the hardest parts of Polyjuice Potion were over? It put a bit of a damper on things.  
  
_"Are you alright, Virgil?"_  Had the voice not come from directly next to him, Virgil would not have recognized that Logan was the one speaking. Once it did occur to him, he flinched slightly. Did his voice actually sound like that? He didn't think that his voice sounded like that when he heard himself speak, but hearing it from a source outside of his own head was a unique experience.  
  
_"Virgil?"_  Logan asked again, waving a hand in front of his face.  
  
"Uh, yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about something. I'm fine," Virgil assured him, and he  _was_ fine - relatively speaking. He wasn't doing the greatest, but he'd been a lot worse off.   
  
_"I wonder if it'll hurt when we shift back too,"_  Elliott wondered out loud.  
  
...that did  _not_  help matters, though it did offer an odd reassurance in that he wasn't the only one who experienced pain during the transformation. That meant that what he experienced was  _normal_ , and that he'd hopefully done everything right.  
  
For the first time, Virgil noted his reflection glinting off of the side of one of the cups on the table. He held it up and saw Logan's face staring back at him - Logan's face with  _eyeliner_. He let out a few chuckles. "Huh, Chelsea and Elliott are right. You do look good with eyeliner, L," he told Logan with a wink before setting the cup back down.

The rest of the class period passed by similarly to this. Virgil did a quick glance of the rest of the room, taking in the very strange sight of several students wearing robes from different houses than the ones they belonged in - or so it appeared. The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward slightly at this.  
  
It was during one such sweep of the classroom that Virgil first noticed a student doubling over in pain as the skin on his face literally  _rippled and bubbled_.  
  
"Is-is he...what's happening?" Was something going wrong?  
  
Logan, in the meantime, glanced down at his watch before glancing back at the student in question.  _"It appears it is nearly time for us to transfer back to our normal forms."_  
  
Virgil's eyes blew wide open in apprehension. "That's what that looks like?"  
  
_"Well its what it looked like when..."_  Elliott started, before their own face started to bubble.  
  
Virgil glanced over at Logan, a shudder going through him at the sight of what appeared to be his own face rippling and changing into Logan's before his very eyes.  
  
Then he was hit with prickling sensation that made him grown. This time he was able to keep his eyes open long enough to see his  _hand_  succumb to the same effects that he'd seen on Logan, Elliott, and the other student.  
  
It was at that point that he had to close his eyes. Not because of the pain, which he was more prepared for this time around, but because of what he saw and  _heard_. He could hear and feel his bones shifting, growing slightly to accommodate his own form, which was slightly taller than Logan's. He recognized the sensation of his skin melting for what it actually was, and Virgil wasn't certain if that made it better or worse.   
  
A mental picture forced itself to the forefront of Virgil's mind and Virgil gave a heavy shudder. Worse, definitely worse.  
  
He let out a shaky sigh as everything slowly began to abate once more. He opened his eyes but had to close them again as the peered through Logan's glasses, which now distorted the room rather than bring it into focus. He hastily reached up to pull the offending spectacles off of his face and hold them out in Logan's general direction. It wasn't until he felt Logan extract them from his hands that he opened his eyes again.  
  
_"Well that was an experience,"_  Logan announced, straightening up his tie.  
  
Virgil snickered in spite of himself. He supposed that was one way to describe it.


	12. Chapter 12

Virgil's next class after Potions was Care of Magical Creatures. Patton wanted every detail of the class he could possibly get upon hearing that they'd tested their Polyjuice Potions, and despite his lingering discomfort Virgil did his best to answer all of Patton's questions.  
  
_"I bet it was really weird seeing yourself like that. I mean, seeing Logan as you. You get what I mean! I hope,"_  Patton rambled.  
  
"It was one of the weirdest things I've experienced, and that's saying something," Virgil responded with a slight smile. It certainly wasn't an experience he'd go about repeating just for kicks, and not the least because the Potion took forever to prepare.  
  
_"I bet Logan felt really weird in your makeup,"_  Patton said with a snicker.  
  
Virgil could not help but snicker a little. "That's not how it works, Patton. Only physical characteristics get carried over."  
  
_"But your makeup is a physical characteristic,"_  Patton countered.  
  
"I mean it is, but I have to put it on every day. It's not a literal  _part_  of me."  
  
_"Oh yeah, good point,"_  Patton responded with a shrug.

He seemed to consider something.  _"Does that mean that when you turned into Logan it looked like Logan was wearing makeup?"_  
  
Virgil couldn't help it - His slight grin shifted into an all-out grin. "Yeah, and he looks great in it. We should try to convince him to wear it more often." Virgil knew full well that Logan would never do such a thing (with a possible exception of Halloween, and even that would take a heavy dose of persuasion), but it was fun to joke about nevertheless.   
  
The two approached Care of Magical Creatures, both students glancing about for any sign of what they might be studying for this particular class.  
  
Virgil was disappointed to see no sign of the creature that they were...wait a minute, what was going on with that slab of uncooked meat lying on the ground? It looked as if it bites and pieces were being ripped from it and  _disappearing_. Almost as if... "Is something invisible eating that?" Virgil said at last, mouth agape.

He certainly did not expect Patton to blink back at him in utter bewilderment.  _"You don't see it?"_  
  
Virgil raised an eyebrow. "See what? I see bits and pieces of that piece of meat getting ripped off and disappearing..."  
  
_"There's something eating it!"_  Patton announced.  
  
"Yeah, that's my guess too, must be something invisible..."  
  
_"No, I mean I can see what's eating it! Its the same creatures that pull the carriages at the beginning of the school year!"_    
  
It was Virgil's turn to blink in confusion. "There are creatures pulling the carriages? I always thought they were just charmed that way."  
  
_"You've never seen them? And you don't see it? They're like...big black skeleton horses with wings and glowing white eyes!"_ Patton explained.  
  
"They sound like they look pretty neat," Virgil responded. He glanced back toward the creature - or where he had to assume the creature was - with a deep frown. Was something wrong with him? Was he not a capable enough wizard? Was that why he could not see the creature?  
  
The professor walked up, running their hand over what appeared to be thin air - but Virgil figured  _had_  to be the horse that Patton described.  
  
_"Good afternoon, class,"_  the professor announced.  _"With a show of hands, how many students can see the creature that I am currently petting?"_  
  
Only two students raised their hands, Patton being one of them. Virgil let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief. He'd initially thought that something was wrong with him, but he was among the majority of the class. What did that mean though?

 _"I am sorry for your losses,"_  the professor told them. Virgil glanced at Patton in confusion, hoping that Patton's reaction would offer some answers. Patton, however, looked every bit as puzzled as Virgil both looked and felt.  
  
A Gryffindor boy nearby, however, gasped loudly and covered his mouth with his hand.  
  
_"I take it you have classified the creature joining us in class today despite your inability to see it?"_  the professor observed.  
  
The boy nodded.  _"Its a thestral! You can only see it if you've seen someone die!"_  
  
_"You are correct. Take five points for Gryffindor for a job well done,"_  the professor told the boy.

Virgil cast a glance in Patton's direction. Patton...he'd never known that about Patton before.   
  
Patton seemed to take the revelation in stride, but Virgil knew Patton well enough by now to notice the slight falter in Patton's smile.

 _"Can anyone else tell me something about thestrals?"_  the professor asked, glancing around.  
  
A Slytherin girl held up her hand and was called on immediately.  _"They pull the carriages that take us to Hogwarts!"_ she announced, backing up Patton's earlier comment that he'd seen them doing so.  
  
The rest of the class seemed to pass by in a blur. Virgil hastily gathered up his things, unsure what to say to Patton after a class like that. Should he ask Patton? Should he stay silent? Would bringing up the subject cause Patton distress? Or would  _avoiding_  the subject actually cause more harm, by making Patton think that Virgil did not care?  
  
_"You're probably wondering why I can see thestrals,"_  Patton asked behind him in a surprisingly even tone.  
  
"Pat, I..."   
  
_"It's alright, it doesn't bother me too much to talk about it. I was eight when it happened. It was my Grampy,"_  Patton told him.  
  
"Grampy...your grandpa?" Virgil guessed.  
  
Patton nodded.  _"August, Seth, and Toby were only three, Juniper was only two, and Mabel was barely born so I'm really the only one of us who remembers him all that well. He used to do all sorts of magic tricks for us. They almost seemed real,"_  Patton smiled fondly.  
  
"Maybe they were," Virgil told Patton, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder as they walked.  
  
_"What do you mean?"_  Patton asked with a slight tilt of his head.  
  
"Patton, you're literally a wizard, and so are your siblings. Maybe your grandpa was too," Virgil suggested.  
  
Patton shrugged.  _"I dunno, maybe he was. He never said anything about it though. I still miss him sometimes. He was the one who got me started on all of these puns!"_  
  
Virgil could not help but chuckle at that. "And the world was never the same after that day." He glanced at Patton, managing a small smile toward his best friend. "Thanks for sharing that with me, Pat. I know it can't have been easy to talk about."  
  
_"Actually, it's kinda nice to talk about?"_  
  
"Oh?" Virgil blinked back in surprise.  
  
_"Yeah! It's nice to relive all the good moments I had with him,"_ Patton beamed.  _"When he tried the old coin behind your ear trick, when he gave all three of the triplets a piggy back ride at once...his back had to hurt after that one! I would know because I tried it...didn't work as well when a seven year old tried it."_ Patton giggled at the memory, then gasped as he looked down at his watch.  _"I'm gonna be late for Muggle Studies! Later Virgil!"_  
  
Patton pulled Virgil into an unexpectedly strong bear hug before dashing off.   
  
"Probably learned  _that_  from his grandpa too," Virgil commented with a smile before heading off toward his own class.


	13. Chapter 13

On the bright side, Virgil never had to have his mind read in front of the entire class the way a few unlucky (or lucky, depending who you asked) did on the very first day of class. That did not mean his misadventures in Occlumency were over.  
  
To the contrary, they were just beginning.  
  
Virgil did have his chance with Professor Avenir, even if it wasn't in front of the entire class. They all did - despite there being Legilimens in training in the class as well, none of them were considered quite skilled enough at this point to offer a proper lesson.

Virgil put as much of his focus as he could on trying to hide his most embarrassing thoughts from Professor Avenir when she attempted to peruse his mind. A slight chuckle told Virgil that he likely failed miserably at his endeavor.   
  
 _"I take it you did not want me to see the time you got lost and wandered the castle for so long that you missed all of your classes on your first day of your first year?"_  Professor Avenir asked him in a whisper that Virgil was immensely grateful for. He still checked over his shoulder to make certain that no one overheard, but at least she had  _some_  respect for his dignity.  
  
Realizing he had yet to give Professor Avenir a proper response to her question, Virgil nodded and hoped that his cheeks weren't as red as they felt.  
  
 _"Its because you were focusing so hard on not letting me see it that it brought the memory to the very forefront of your mind. You unintentionally sabotaged yourself,"_  Professor Avenir explained.  _"Try instead to think of something else in place of the memory. The memory is still there, but it is no longer in the forefront. Think of it as a shield of sorts. Some Occlumens suggest clearing your mind entirely, and while I will not discount that method, as it does work for some people...I suspect that it won't work so well for you. It didn't work well for your boyfriend either,"_  she told him with a wink. _"I suggest experimenting a bit to see what works best for you."_  
  
Virgil was surprised at how helpful this advice was, though he still wasn't sure how successful he would be. It would still be difficult, but it did not feel outright  _impossible_  like the prospect of clearing his mind entirely.

He rejoined Logan, Era, Chelsea, and Roman - all of whom were, of course, eager to discuss their own experiences with Professor Avenir.  
  
 _"Were any of you able to block anything?"_  Chelsea asked the others eagerly. She'd had the chance to sit out today, as she'd had her thoughts read aloud in their first class. Now, it was clear that she enjoyed the fact that the tables were turned and now the others were in the hot seat.  
  
 _"I had little success,"_  Logan admitted.   
  
 _"Same here,"_  Era sighed.  
  
"Yeeeeeep," Virgil added.  
  
 _"Well I did a wonderful job. Best in the class from what I heard!"_ Roman said with a puffed up chest.  
  
Logan snorted and folded his arms across his chest.  _"You did no such thing, Roman."_  
  
 _"And how would you know? You're not reading my mind, are you?"_  Roman sounded a little too nervous about the prospect if one asked Virgil. It put up all sorts of red flags.  
  
 _"No. I just happened to observe your face turning a healthy shade of red for a moment or so when you were speaking to Professor Avenir, and I highly doubt that you were blushing that hard because the professor did not see anything,"_  Logan asserted.  
  
 _"...you suck, Logan,"_  Roman huffed.  
  
Virgil, Era, and Chelsea all laughed.  
  
"Busted, Roman," Virgil teased.

"How's Legilimancy going?" Virgil asked the other four. He was the only one in their group focused solely on Occlumency, after all.  
  
 _"About the same as this class. Little bit of practice, but still mostly theory,"_  Era explained.  _"We're supposed to practice on each other soon - I think we'll be doing the same in this class?"_

"How's that gonna work for those of us who are only taking one class and not the other?" Virgil frowned.  
  
 _"Oh...good point. I'm not sure,"_  Era confessed.  
  
 _"Maybe you should enroll in both classes? We're not too far along in Legilimancy, I'm sure they could squeeze you in!"_ Roman piped up.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. "I'll pass. Not really my style."

He contemplated suggesting that they could practice their Legilimancy on him...but decided against it. Yes, these were some of his closest friends (and his boyfriend, in the case of Logan), but what if he thought something  _bad_  about one of them when they were attempting to use Legilimancy on him? Just the  _thought_  of that made him feel uneasy.   
  
Honestly, he'd gotten off easy when it came to Professor Avenir as well. Maybe he shouldn't continue with Occlumency after all?  
  
...no. He had to continue. He might not be thrilled with the idea of others attempting to read his mind while he learned Occlumency, but he would rather have it in the structured environment of a classroom where he could learn than somewhere dangerous, where the ability to use Occlumency could mean the difference between life and death.  
  
 _"Hey Virge, you coming with?"_  Roman's voice broke through Virgil thoughts, and Virgil was surprised to see that most of the others in the room - his friends included - were packing up their things and gradually making their way toward the door.   
  
Chelsea was snickering.  _"And people say I have my head in the clouds."_  
  
"Time to go already?" he blinked in surprise, though began to pack up his things as well. He didn't want to hold up the others for too long.  
  
Virgil still had mixed feelings concerning Occlumency, but at least he had a few suggestions that he could utilize in his attempt to improve.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...oh boy. Things are going to start getting dark after this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you. That said, I may post the next chapter later today if I have time to do so. I actually have the next several after this written already, so...

"The motion is an upward flick with your wand. The incantation for a regular Shield Charm is Protego, but there are other more powerful versions of the same spell. We can get to those later, but let's focus on this one first. You wanna give it a try or do you want me to show you first?" Virgil turned to Astrit, who he was tutoring on the Shield Charm.   
  
Astrit, however, was tracing his finger across a dent on the side of the desk.

"Astrit? You alright?" Virgil frowned, taking a closer look at the younger boy. Other than his heightened distraction, Virgil saw no immediate outward signs that anything was wrong.  
  
Astrit gasped and snatched his wand immediately.  _"I'm fine. What did you want me to do again?"_  
  
Virgil raised an eyebrow. "Are you  _sure_  you don't want to cancel and save this for a later date? We've gone over this before, if something's bugging you..."  
  
_"Everything's fine,"_  Astrit insisted.   
  
"Riiiiiiiiiight, and Roman Prince is going to come in here right this second and announce that he's going to keep his mouth shut for an entire week," Virgil remarked with a roll of his eyes.  
  
_"...I know you're trying to prove a point, but did you have to pick something_  that  _improbable?"_  Astrit asked, one corner of his mouth twitching repeatedly.  
  
"Yeah, that's kinda the point," Virgil grinned. "But seriously, I'm here if you need to chat. Or if you don't wanna chat with me because I'm just the dude that hangs out with your sister and tutors you, you could try talking to her about it. I'm not gonna press you, but I do want you to know that there are options."  
  
_"I'm_  fine _,"_  Astrit insisted in a defensive tone that suggested the exact opposite. Virgil would know, he'd been there and done that so often that he could easily write a book on it.   
  
And had he flinched when Virgil mentioned Era? It was almost imperceptible, and Virgil wasn't sure if Astrit was even consciously aware that he'd done it. Hell, Virgil wasn't even 100% certain that  _he'd_  seen it. Perhaps he was reading the whole thing wrong.  
  
_"Let's just keep going over...Protego, right?"_  Astrit raised his wand, holding it at the ready.  
  
Virgil let out a sigh. Astrit was putting his foot down. Virgil did say that he would not press Astrit, and thus he would keep to his word, but he intended to keep a closer eye on Astrit for at least the next few days.

\----------------------------  
  
The weekend came, and Virgil and Logan walked down the trail to Hogsmeade together. Logan had plans to go to the bookstore, then they were going to meet up with Patton and Roman at The Three Broomsticks.  
  
Virgil was about to head into the book store with Logan when he spotted Astrit walking down the street, staring intently at a piece of paper in his hands. Astrit's demeanor had not improved over the past few days, and Virgil had his suspicions that whatever Astrit was staring at may hold some of the answers as to  _why_.  
  
"I'll meet up with you guys later at The Three Broomsticks. I just saw Astrit and I think I should talk to him," Virgil told Logan.  
  
Logan stepped away from the door, peering down the street.  _"Would you like me to accompany you?"_  
  
Virgil almost said yes, then realized that Logan's presence would probably make it even less likely that Astrit would confide in him. Virgil shook his head. "Nah. I think this is the kind of conversation best had one on one."  
  
Logan nodded.  _"A reasonable assessment given the circumstances. Best of luck to you."_  The two shared a peck on the lips before Virgil hurried off down the road in the direction he saw Astrit walking in.

Virgil almost thought he lost the fifth year... _almost_. Then he spotted Astrit walking into a building at the end of the street.  
  
"Astrit!" he called out, waving his hand - but it was evident that Astrit did not hear him, whether it was because he was too far off or Astrit was too focused on what he was doing to pay attention to someone calling out his name.   
  
_"Snježana? I'm here, where are you?"_  he heard Astrit's voice call out. Virgil's eyes widened.  
  
Snježana? Astrit's  _other_  sister, who he hadn't seen since she graduated two years prior? The one with the father who told Astrit to stop sending her letters?  
  
No wonder Astrit was preoccupied. Virgil was about to head back to the book store to meet up with Logan when he heard something that made his blood run cold.  
  
_"You're not Snježana."_  
  
_"Afraid not,"_  a man's voice responded.  _"Snježana could not be here as she had a...shall we say prior engagement?"_  Were it not for the cold laugh that followed, Virgil could have passed this off as a casual comment.  
  
It wasn't, though, and Astrit seemed to have jumped to the same conclusion that Virgil did.  _"Where is she? What have you done with her?"_  he hissed.  
  
The man chuckled once more.  _"Oh, I wouldn't be so worried about her if I were you. You're the one backed into a corner with no way out."_  
  
Virgil immediately went for the door to help Astrit, but there was a loud crash, a scream...and then a crack.  
  
A crack that he recognized from Apparition class.  
  
He was too late. Astrit was gone. He could have done something had he acted but he waited too long and Astrit was  _gone_.  
  
Virgil's mind was whirling as he tried to catch his breath. He had to do something. But what? What could he do? Then it hit him. He had to tell the others! Virgil took off running in the direction of the book store...  
  
...or at least that was what he  _intended_  to do. Instead, he felt a hand grab at his arm.  
  
_"Not so fast,"_  said a voice. A familiar voice.  _Too_  familiar.  
  
The last thing he heard before everything faded to black was his father's voice shouting the word 'Stupefy' and a loud crack.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE - Things will start to get dark in this chapter, and will stay that way for a while. Please do not read any further if you think this will trigger you in any way. This chapter will contain heavy amounts of memory modification. If there are any other triggers that you guys feel I should warn about, let me know and I will edit this.

Virgil was trapped. He had no way of letting his friends know where he was. If only he'd worn the watch that Logan charmed the year before, then perhaps he would have  _some_  way of communicating with them.  
  
There was no guarantee that he would have been able to contact his friends even if he  _did_  have the watch on his person. There were too many extenuating factors to take into consideration. Would Logan have the watch on him? Would he even think to  _look_  at the watch? Was the spell Logan placed on the watches permanent, or would the spell have worn off at this point?  
  
Virgil wasn't sure why he was even  _entertaining_  these theories within his mind. They did not matter in the least, because he did  _not_  have the watch on him.  
  
His father stared at him. Virgil glared back. He might suffer for it, but he suspected that he would suffer  _regardless_  so long as he remained within the custody of his father, so why not let his father know exactly how he felt about him?  
  
To Virgil's surprise, Linus began to smile.  
  
"What's so funny?" Virgil snapped.   
  
This only led to Linus chuckling further.  _"It's only a matter of time,"_  he responded.  
  
"Only a matter of time until what?" Virgil tried to keep the fear out of his voice, cringing as he felt a tremor make its way in nevertheless.  
  
Linus, of course, found this as amusing as anything else.  _"Until you take your proper place as a member of the Thompson family,"_  he grinned  
  
Virgil felt hot anger rise up within him at the sight of his father's taunting smile. "You'll be waiting a long time for that,  _Linus_ ," Virgil snarled.  
  
Linus rose to his feet as a few deep chuckles escaped him.  _"I would not be so certain about that."_  
  
He turned and left, just as a fresh wave of horror crashed over Virgil. What on Earth could he possibly mean by that?

\------------------------------------

 _Virgil was seven years old, playing a game of tag with his brother Lionel. Lionel warned him not to go near the 'mudbloods', but Virgil did not listen. Instead, he showed off his magical ability to their Muggle neighbors - an act that he grew to regret almost immediately. Not only were the Muggle boys not impressed, but they turned on him at once, calling him a freak of nature and telling him what a horrible person he was. Then they beat him up until he was a sobbing, whimpering mess on the ground._  
  
_Later, as his father was patching him up, he informed him that this was exactly what he'd been warning Virgil and Lionel about this entire time - Muggles were cruel, savage even. They needed to be shown their proper place in the world, and it was up to proud pureblood families like their own to show them. Virgil engaged in his father's lessons alongside Lionel with a new vigor, knowing now that his father was right._  
  
Lionel stood over Virgil, his wand pointed at the boy's head.   
  
_Virgil gave his first prophecy. His mother's reaction was to force him to go to his room. He heard her sobbing later on to his father, wondering what she did to deserve such a curse. Virgil curled up on his bed near tears, his father coming in to join him several moments later._  
  
_"Virgil? Do not listen to what your mother says. This is not a curse. It is a gift. It is something to be proud of, just like you, my boy."_  
  
_And though Virgil still despaired in what his mother thought of him, he was comforted by the fact that at least one of his parents did not consider him to be a curse._  
  
Lionel..well, Linus was willing to reserve judgment on Lionel, but Lionel was not much use to him in Azkaban.  
  
_Virgil knew that he belonged in Slytherin. There was no other house that he would even consider. He scoffed when the Sorting Hat suggested_  Ravenclaw  _and considered hexing the hat when it dared to suggest_  Hufflepuff _. At last, the Sorting Hat called out the name of Slytherin, and Virgil made his way over to the Slytherin table and took a seat next to Lionel, who put his arm around his brother and hastily introduced Virgil to his friends. Virgil already felt right at home._  
  
_Yet something bothered him, something that he dared not to voice. Why on Earth would the Sorting Hat suggest that he, a proud Thompson, belonged in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? He tried to push this thought down, but it continued to surface time and time again. Did the Sorting Hat feel that he was not worthy to wear the Slytherin house colors? He would have to do everything he could to prove the Sorting Hat wrong._  
  
There was another option, however. Linus could not believe that he had not seen it sooner.  
  
_Virgil's mother was devastated. Virgil's sorting into Slytherin was apparently the last straw for the woman, who held a deep-seated hope that at least one of her sons would follow in her footsteps and enter the Ravenclaw House. It was with a somber expression that Linus greeted Virgil and Lionel at Platform 9 3/4 following Virgil's first year and Lionel's second year, telling his sons that Renilda walked out on the family and that she wanted nothing to do with either of her sons. Virgil, Linus, and Lionel were left to themselves within Thompson Manor, though they made due. Eventually the hole left within their family by Renilda's actions began to mend itself, and the three remaining Thompsons grew closer than ever._  
  
He still had one son on this side of Azkaban, one son who could carry on his legacy if given the proper chance.  
  
_"Man, what happened to you?" Virgil greeted one of his fellow Dark Sides, as they'd taken to calling themselves. His cohort was holding a towel to his face in an attempt to stem the blood oozing from his nose._  
  
_"Mudblood got me. Pretty bad too. It's bad enough they walk around the castle as if they own the place, but then they think they can get away with this?" he growled._  
  
_Virgil and Lionel exchanged looks, shaking their heads. It sounded as if it was high time that they teach this Mudblood a lesson and defend the honor of their friend._  
  
And even if said son did not want to accept his legacy at first, he would certainly come around with the correct persuasion...right?  
  
"Father?"  
  
Linus turned at the sound of his youngest son's voice. Dare he hope...?  
  
In stark contrast to the anger Virgil displayed before, Virgil showcased remarkable deference. He cleared his throat.  
  
"The meeting with the others is still tomorrow, correct? I hope that I make a good impression..." the boy murmured, gazing downward.  
  
The corners of Linus' mouth twitched upward as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.  _"Oh, I'm quite certain that you will, my boy."_  
  
Virgil smiled back at Linus. "Thank you, father."


	16. Chapter 16

Virgil stood before the mirror in his bedroom. A sizable pile of discarded dress robes lay on the floor a few feet away. Virgil frowned at his reflection.  
  
"Its no good, it's not good enough..." He let out a sigh of frustration, kicking the pile before sitting atop his bed.  
  
_"Sir?"_    
  
A squeaky voice interrupted his musings. He scowled and cast a glare in the direction of the voice. "What are you waiting for, pick it up. Honestly, what do we even have a house elf for if it isn't going to do its job properly?" Virgil rolled his eyes, watching as the house elf dashed forward at once and took the pile of dress robes into its hands. Its arms were so full that it could hardly see where it was going, yet it ran out of the room as quickly as it could.  
  
Virgil let out another hefty sigh before rising to his feet. He reached for a fifth set of dress robes with shaking hands...  
  
_"Virgil? What is taking so long? I thought I told you to be ready by 6,"_  his father's voice came from the doorway, sounding slightly annoyed. Virgil whirled around at once.  
  
"I'm still trying to find the right pair of dress robes," Virgil explained, unable to keep the nerves entirely out of his voice.  
  
Lionel's expression softened.  _"You are worried. What for?"_  
  
Virgil fidgeted with the sleeve of the robe he was currently wearing. "Its just...I want to make a good impression for them. I know how important this is, and I'm afraid that they won't like me," he mumbled, his eyes cast downward.  
  
Linus let out a chuckle.  _"Is that all? My dear boy, you are a Thompson! You are of proud, pure blood! It does not matter what you wear, all that matters is your dedication to our purpose! And I know I have no need to doubt your dedication, correct?"_  
  
Virgil straightened up at once. "Of course not. I just hope they feel the same."  
  
_"They will. Now are you ready?"_  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," Virgil responded, sending a nervous smile Linus' way.   
  
Linus chuckled.  _"Now I know you don't have a Apparation License so you'll have to travel along with me. Take my hand and close your eyes so that you do not get too sick."_  
  
Virgil took a deep breath in anticipation, placing his hand in his father's.  
  
The sensation of Apparation was not pleasant, but Linus was correct about one thing - it was far easier with his eyes closed than he imagined it would be with his eyes open. He could feel the sensation of being squeezed impossibly small and then expanding again...but he could only imagine it would be far worse with the  _sights_  that accompanied such a sensation.  
  
Linus let go of Virgil's hand and strode forward. Virgil followed, not knowing what else to do. The stuffy atmosphere in the room did little to soothe Virgil's nerves, but at least the people within the room seemed to be scattered about in small groups or even on their own. That made the prospect of approaching them a little easier for Virgil to cope with.

The father/son duo stopped by the refreshment table to grab glasses of wine, then approached a man in ornate dress robes. Virgil would be lying if he said that he did not feel intimidated the moment he set eyes on this man, yet Linus continued forward.  
  
_"Good evening, Draven,"_  Linus held out a hand for the man to shake. At the sound of a familiar voice, the man turned and met Linus' hand with his own. He then turned to Virgil appraisingly. Virgil felt uneasy beneath his gaze.  
  
_"Good evening, Linus. Who is joining you today? I was under the impression that your son was in the midst of an unfortunate stint in Azkaban."_  The man shook his head.  _"A shame, really. Lionel showed a lot of promise. A wasted opportunity so long as he remains behind Azkaban's walls."_  Draven shook his head and raised his cup to his mouth, taking a few sips as he awaited Linus' response.  
  
_"Lionel, sadly, still remains entrapped within Azkaban. This is my younger son, Virgil,"_  Linus announced.  
  
Virgil took a deep breath and imitated his father's actions from earlier, hoping that this was the correct course of action. He extended his hand for the older man to shake. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir."  
  
The man seemed pleased enough and met Virgil's hand, giving it a firm shake.  
  
_"There is hope for the Thompson name yet, I see,"_  Draven announced.   
  
Linus nodded.  _"Oh yes, there very much is. Oh, Virgil, here is another couple I would like you to meet."_  
  
Virgil nodded to Draven once more before hurrying after his father. His father stood before a middle-aged man and woman, who eyed Virgil in a similar fashion to Draven. This time Virgil was ready for it at least.  
  
_"I would like you to meet Victoria and Edward Prince. Their son is currently locked within Azkaban alongside Lionel,"_  Linus informed him.  
  
_"Yes, well, Phillip and Lionel did try their best,"_  the woman, Victoria presumably, let out a sad sigh.  _"And who might you be?"_  she asked Virgil.  
  
_"Virgil Thompson, my youngest son,"_  Linus provided by way of introduction.  
  
Virgil extended a hand to both members of the couple. "I...I believe I attended school with your son?"  
  
Both Victoria and Edward froze at once, their expressions growing stony.  _"Yes, well...we prefer not to talk of him much. He has proven to be quite the disappointment to the family name."_  
  
"I'm sorry for bringing him up, then," Virgil hastily told them, wishing that the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Here he was trying to make a good impression and he unintentionally brought up a point of heavy contention for the two.  
  
Edward waved his hand.  _"Ah, don't worry about it. It happens occasionally. Even the sturdiest of trees have areas that rot occasionally. The key is to prune those areas before they infect the rest of the tree."_  
  
Victoria nodded in agreement.  
  
Virgil made a face. "Yeah, not only was he sorted into Gryffindor, but I heard he was dating a  _Mudblood_?"  
  
Victoria nodded solemnly.  _"Its worse than that, actually. He refused to return home last summer. Instead, he went to live with the Mudblood and the Mudblood's entire brood! Can you believe it?"_  
  
Linus shook his head.  _"A sad story, but I know you have done what needed to be done."_  
  
Edward nodded.  _"We have. We no longer acknowledge that blood traitor as a son. To pure blood!"_  He held up the glass in his hand as a toast.   
  
Linus and Victoria lifted their glasses as well.  _"To pure blood!"_  
  
Virgil raised his glass as well, gently tapping it against Edward's. "To pure blood!" He announced, touching the glass to his lips and taking a few sips. He was not so sure that he enjoyed the bitter taste of the liquid, but he was starting to feel as if he belonged.  
  
He turned to his father, expecting Linus to lead him to another friend or acquaintance for introductions, but instead began to lead him toward a large table off to the side.  
  
"Father?" Virgil inquired. "Where are we going?"  
  
_"This is a very exciting moment, Virgil. You are about to participate in your first Council meeting!"_


	17. Chapter 17

Virgil's legs felt like jello as he approached the table. His first Council meeting? He was not certain whether the trembles that wracked his figure were from fear or excitement - probably both.  
  
He was relieved when Linus finally found a seat, gesturing for Virgil to take a seat next to him. There were familiar faces at the table as well as several he did not recognize. He spotted Draven on the other side of the table, deep in conversation with a few others around him. Victoria Prince sat on the other side of Virgil, her husband taking a seat beside her.  
  
Virgil could not help but feel relief when he realized he would at least be seated next to someone he was moderately familiar with.  
  
 _"This is your first Council meeting?"_  Victoria asked, Virgil involuntarily giving a start in surprise. He nodded apprehensively.  
  
Victoria chuckled.  _"It is okay to be nervous. I was nervous for my first meeting as well. You wish to make a good impression?"_  
  
Virgil nodded once more.  
  
 _"You did a lovely job earlier, when speaking with my husband and I. I would not worry too much - you seem a right proper pureblood wizard. Your father should be proud,"_  Victoria remarked.  
  
 _"I am,"_  Linus announced, and Virgil smiled. The words of his father and Mrs. Prince did not take the nerves away entirely, but they did help.

They all fell silent when a man across the table cleared his voice and rose to his feet.  _"Greetings, my fellow pureblood. I wish to announce that we are making great strides within the Ministry. Much of this is thanks to Linus Thompson, who has utilized his high ranking position within the Ministry to influence others within the Ministry and allow for more of our numbers to enter the Ministry ranks."_  
  
Virgil glanced over at Linus. "Father, I didn't realize you'd done all that, why didn't you tell me?" There was awe in his voice at all that his father accomplished. Linus frowned and held up his hand, and Virgil fell silent.  
  
 _"Unfortunately, Lionel Thompson's recent arrest and incarceration have put a damper on these efforts. Linus has been placed on administrative leave as they investigate any possible connections to Lionel,"_  the man continued. Virgil shrunk in his seat under the murmurs that came after this. Were they angry with his father? Would this anger translate to him?

 _"Nevertheless,"_  the man continued, and Virgil glanced upward,  _"we owe a lot to Linus, and we have enough of our members in place to really begin to exert our influence within the Ministry. We also owe a great deal to the Prince family..."_  
  
Virgil began to feel more at ease once the attention was removed from his father. He could take in the scene as a casual observer. He could take mental notes on how a Council member was expected to act. Though he realized that he was perhaps getting a bit ahead of himself...he'd been invited to a Council  _meeting_ , but that did not make him a proper member of the Council.  
  
He twiddled his thumbs together beneath the table in an attempt to work out some of the tension. Several minutes passed before a different person stood to speak.  _"We must take time to acknowledge that we have fresh blood at our Council today. It is always a cause for celebration, when new generations take up our purpose and join beside us."_  
  
Virgil's eyes widened slightly. Fresh blood? New generations? Were they referring to...  
  
 _"Virgil Thompson, please stand up,"_  the woman announced.  
  
Virgil rose to his feet, trying not to betray the shakiness in his lower limbs. He gripped the table beneath him for balance. If any other member of the Council noticed any of these actions, they did not acknowledge them. After a round of applause, Virgil took a seat next to his father once more, his father clapping him on the back.  
  
 _"Another Thompson boy?"_  an older, grizzled-looking wizard proclaimed, eyeing Virgil.  _"Lionel was a talented wizard, a masterful Animagus."_  
  
 _"Save, you know, for the time he permanently transfigured half of his face into a snake. Something tells me that wasn't in the original plans,"_  a young man of perhaps 25 at the oldest proclaimed, letting loose a few chuckles as if to accentuate his point.  
  
The older man frowned.  _"Nevertheless, despite any mishaps that may have occurred in the interim, Lionel mastered the ability to transfigure himself into a snake at will. What do you bring to the table, young Thompson? What skills do you possess that may be of use to us?"_  
  
Virgil chewed at his bottom lip. A skill that he possessed that may be of use to them?   
  
Much to Virgil's surprise, Linus cleared his throat and addressed the other members of the Council.  _"Virgil was born with an innate ability that may prove beneficial to us in the future. Go on, Virgil, tell them."_  
  
He was?  
  
All at once, it hit him what his father was referring to. It was hardly an ability that he considered himself proud of, as he did not have much control over it, but he supposed he could see where it might come in handy. It was not an ability that he spoke of very often either, preferring to keep it to himself. He still recalled his mother's reaction to it, a thought that still brought a lump to his throat whenever it came to mind.  
  
That being said, the Council was waiting, and he hardly wanted to disappoint them or his father. He cleared his throat. "I...I possess the Sight," he announced reluctantly, one of his legs bouncing up and down beneath the table and safely out of sight of the other members of the Council.  
  
Once more, the Council broke into conversation. Virgil was torn between wanting to listen in and wanting to cover his ears out of fear that they were saying terrible,  _horrible_  things about him.  
  
 _"Order! Order!"_  the woman who facilitated his introduction to the Council called out, and the table fell silent at once.  _"A Seer? We have not had one of those within our ranks before,"_  the woman proclaimed, a note of wonder seeping into her voice.  
  
 _"A Seer? But Seers do not even have control over their abilities! What's to say that his ability will be of any use to us whatsoever?"_  the skeptical young man from before scoffed.  
  
The older man frowned, looking closely at Virgil. Virgil had to resist a growing urge to duck beneath the table, especially after hearing the young man's comment.  _"Whether he has control over said ability or not, a young man with an innate ability to foretell the future may indeed provide us with an advantage. I trust that you will notify us when and if your Inner Eye decides to pay you any visits?"_    
  
As difficult as it was, from a  _personal_  viewpoint, Virgil forced himself to nod. He may not desire to share such personal moments with the Council, but this was not about him. It was about furthering the Council's goals. And he knew what was expected of him. "I will do whatever is necessary to advance our cause," Virgil said at last.  
  
Linus beamed with pride.  
  
 _"To pure blood!"_  the older man announced as he lifted his glass upward.  
  
 _"To pure blood!"_  the rest of the Council followed, Virgil included.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who may be wondering what is going on with the others...you will see them next chapter! There's a lot of focus on Virgil and his so-called 'new life' for some future chapters, but that won't be the ONLY focus. =)


	18. Chapter 18

After the Council meeting, Virgil retreated to his bedroom. He needed a bit of time alone to recover from the stress that the Council meeting brought. He was grateful for his acceptance into the Council proper, but there were so many  _people_  present and he'd wanted to make a good impression on every single one of them...it was nice to be able to let that tension go once he and his father returned home.  
  
Virgil was seated atop his bed, his legs crossed beneath him as he read through one of the many Dark Arts books from his father's library. He was about to turn to the next page when he heard a knock at his door.  
  
"Come in," he called. He suspected he knew who it was, not that there were many options. It was either his father or the house elf, and he could not think of any valid reason for the house elf to be paying him a visit this late at night.  
  
Linus stepped into the room. Virgil closed his book and set it aside. "Father?" he questioned. His father paying him a visit made more sense than the house elf doing so, but Virgil was still curious as to why his father was stopping by. He'd done everything correctly at the Council meeting, hadn't he?  
  
He quickly scanned his father's features. Linus did not appear to be angry or upset in any way. Virgil relaxed considerably.

 _"I wanted to talk to you about your performance at the Council meeting today,"_  Linus said at last. Virgil chewed on his bottom lip. Here it was.  
  
_"I believe that you made a great first impression on the Council. Well done! Because you did so well...I would like to make a proposal,"_  Linus informed him.  
  
"A proposal?" Virgil arched an eyebrow in curiosity.  
  
Linus nodded.  _"A gift. Whatever you may want, for a job well done."_  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. "A gift? Like...what sort of gift are we talking about?"  
  
_"Anything you may desire...within reason, of course. I could get you your own house elf, for example?"_  Linus offered as  suggestion.  
  
Virgil made a face. "I think I'd do a better job managing myself than relying on any sort of house elf, if Mopsy is any indication." He rolled his eyes.  
  
_"Well, I will give you some time to think on the matter. If you need me, I will be in my study. I have matters that I need to attend to,"_  Linus rose to his feet and exited Virgil's room. Virgil couldn't help but feel curious as to what sort of matters Linus needed to attend to - yet he also knew better than to ask, lest he upset Linus by doing so.  
  
Besides, he planned to make use of this time to consider what he desired as a gift.  
  
It was an  _incredibly_  generous offer, and Virgil wanted it to count.   
  
He had two ideas on his mind. The first did not involve a specific item, but rather a trip to scope out several items. He'd yet to step foot inside of Borgin and Burkes, and he was curious as to what sort of treasures may lurk within the store. Perhaps he would find something that he desired there?  
  
His other option? A request to be  _taught_  something new. Just as he had not settled on a dark item that he wanted from Borgin's and Burkes, Virgil had yet to narrow his options down to a single spell or a branch of magic he wished to pursue.

It took Virgil some time, but he finally made his decision. He rose to his feet and ventured out of his room, heading down the hall to his father's study. The door was open and he saw his father sitting within, but he did not want to barge in unannounced in case he interrupted something. He knocked on the door frame to get his father's attention.  
  
His father rose to his feet at once, setting his book down.  _"Have you made your decision?"_  
  
Virgil nodded. "I'd like to go to Knockturn Alley. Borgin and Burkes in particular."  
  
Linus' face broke out into a grin.  _"Ah yes, there are all sorts of interesting treasures there. I remember when my father first took me. I still have the item that he purchased for me."_  
  
Virgil smiled at the thought of taking part in what sounded like a family tradition. The best part? In stark contrast to Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley was rarely bustling to the brim with witches and wizards. The majority of those within the wizarding world stayed clear of it. That meant Virgil was less likely to have to deal with crowds.  
  
_"I should be able to take you within the next couple of days. I would suggest doing a bit of reading on Dark Objects - You may get some ideas for what to look for in Borgin and Burkes. I believe I have a book that may help you...here,"_  Linus waved his wand and a book levitated from one of the bookshelves over to Virgil's outstretched hands.  
  
"Thanks, I'll check it out," Virgil told Linus, headed back down the hall with the book clutched close to him. He knew what he'd be doing for the next couple of hours...  
  
\------------------------------------------  
  
_"Are you absolutely certain that you can't get a hold of him?"_  Era frowned, staring closely at the watch on Logan's wrist.  
  
Logan tapped the side of his watch and absolutely nothing happened. The Ravenclaw let out a sigh.  _"I apologize...I am fairly certain that Virgil did not have his watch with him when he and Astrit were taken. We will have to devise another way of locating them and rescuing them."_  
  
_"...that's easier said than done. Do we even know who took him?"_  Elliott sighed.  
  
_"I have my suspicions,"_  Roman said, and seven heads turned to look his way.   
  
_"You do?"_  Chelsea raised an eyebrow at that.  
  
_"I do...not that it brings us much closer to finding them, but it's a start at the very least?"_  Roman offered.  
  
_"Stop playing around and tell us who you think it is!"_  Era snapped, clenching her hands into fists.  
  
Elliott, Shane, Roman, and Patton flinched backward. Paige frowned. Chelsea placed her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. Logan shot Era a look of sympathy. Logan, too, was struggling with knowing what to do with himself. He wanted to maintain the cool and calm presence that he usually did, especially in light of the others fretting. It proved to be an incredible challenge to do this when his boyfriend was one of the ones missing and possibly in danger.  
  
He wasn't sure how much longer he would last, if he had to be honest.  
  
_"A friend of my parents. Part of their lovely little ragtag band of people obsessed with the idea of blood purity,"_  Roman scowled. Patton put his arm around him, and Roman soothed...but only slightly.  
  
_"...is it possible that Deceit and Phillip were working with this group last year?"_  Logan asked, frowning.  
  
_"I would say that it is more than just possible. I would almost state that it is a guarantee. I can understand how Phillip was able to act relatively unimpeded, but Deceit was wanted for the majority of last year yet still managed to evade capture. Deceit had to have had help,"_  Roman pointed out.  
  
_"I thought we agreed that Virgil's father was probably helping him out, and that's why he was placed under investigation by the Ministry until no evidence surfaced of any wrongdoing?"_  Elliott said while chewing on their lip.  
  
_"...and do you think Virgil's father was pulling all of the strings himself? There's a reason Deceit and Phillip were working together, and it wasn't because they met up at Hogwarts and decided to become the best of pals,"_  Roman was clenching his own hands into fists at this point.  
  
_"So you're saying that your parents...yours and Virgil's...may be behind this?"_  Patton asked Roman gently.  
  
_"In a way, yes. Do I believe that they directly took Virgil and Astrit? No. This network is a lot larger than that,"_  Roman confessed.  
  
_"...we're dealing with an entire Dark Society, aren't we?"_  Chelsea questioned, starting to pull a notepad out of her pocket.  
  
Era eyed the notepad warily.  _"Promise me that you will_  not  _write an exposé on this group until we at the very least get Virgil and my brother back from their clutches. I'd rather they not murder my brother in revenge."_  
  
Chelsea slipped the pad back into her pocket at once, looking sheepish - a rare expression for her.  _"You're right, I'm sorry."_  
  
_"So...we have to infiltrate an entire Dark Society to rescue our friends? Is that even possible?"_ Shane looked more than a little uncomfortable with the idea - and one could hardly blame him when he'd been the victim of a curse two years before.  
  
_"We don't have to infiltrate the entire society...only the part or parts where Virgil and Astrit are. Once we retrieve them, we can skedaddle on out of there,"_  Paige reasoned.  
  
_"...I don't think it will be as easy as skedaddling out of there, but I appreciate the spirit?"_  Roman said with a bemused expression.  
  
_"I believe it is time to enter phase 2 - we begin to form our plan of action,"_  Logan announced.  _"Chelsea, do you still have that notepad?"_  
  
Chelsea pulled her notepad from her pocket once more, holding it up.  _"Right here, Logan."_  
  
_"Would you mind acting as our scribe for this meeting?"_  he inquired.  
  
_"Sure thing,"_  Chelsea responded, clicking her pen open and holding it in a writing position.  
  
Patton let out a sigh.  _"I'm just so worried...what are Virgil and Astrit even going through? They must be so scared!"_  
  
\-----------------------------  
  
It was Astrit's first time out of his cell since he was captured. The Council did not fear his departure, however - They had plans in place to keep him where he was.   
  
_"We're still working on assembling the ingredients for the potion, sir. As you are well aware, it will take considerable time to brew once we have obtained everything, but we are well on our way,"_  a young man announced, giving him a light bow.  
  
_"You've done a wonderful job so far. Keep up the good work and perhaps you'll earn a coveted spot when I make my official return,"_  Astrit spoke in a cold voice.   
  
He glanced upward from the ground, the slightest of smirks gracing his features. He toyed with the necklace around his neck.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you you'd see some of the others in this chapter, didn't I? =)


	19. Chapter 19

Side-Along Apparition did make getting around easier, but it was not Virgil's preferred method of travel. As such, Linus went to fetch some Floo Powder while Virgil waited by the fireplace. Linus returned and took a handful of the powder and tossed it into the fireplace.  
  
Linus was first to step into the emerald flames, followed closely behind by Virgil.  _"Knockturn Alley,"_  Linus announced. Virgil did the same, closing his eyes so as to better cope with the dizzying array of fireplaces that started to crop up before his very eyes at increasing speeds.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, he was in what he could only presume was Borgin and Burke's. Looking at the nearest glass case, he spotted a withered hand resting on a cushion. He also saw spiked instruments hanging from the ceiling, as well as what appeared to be  _human bones_  on the counter?  
  
_"Welcome to Borgin and Burkes, my boy. Isn't it beautiful?"_  Linus gestured around them.  
  
Virgil nodded in agreement, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. He had to admit that the bones on the counter creeped him out a little, but the majority of the other items fascinated him. Was the hand on the cushion a  _real_  severed hand, and if so, what made it so special as to reside in a shop like this? Was it enchanted or curse in some way?  
  
A man approached the counter, speaking in a bored voice.  _"How can I assist y-Linus Thompson! To what do I owe the pleasure?"_  
  
_"Hello, Edgar. I may be interested in purchasing some of your wares today..."_  Linus responded.  
  
As soon as the man at the counter spotted his father, his demeanor changed entirely. Virgil could not help but chuckle under his breath at this. He'd never seen his father at work as much as he had over these past few days, and he was starting to see how much clout Linus Thompson had within the dark underbelly of the wizarding world. His was certainly a name that most recognized, and it made Virgil feel even more proud to bear the Thompson name.  
  
He just had to make certain that he lived up to it...  
  
Virgil began to peruse various displays and shelves within the shop. He did not want to impose on the conversation between his father and the man at the counter, though he could not help but hear bits and pieces of their conversation.  
  
_"I'm sorry to hear about Lionel. How long of a sentence did they give him?"_  Virgil overheard Edgar asking his father.  
  
_"Two years. Can you believe it? He should be given a medal for all of the work he did attempting to cleanse Hogwarts of the filth that roams its halls. Sadly, he did not succeed in killing any of them, but he did enough to sow fear in their hearts, and that is a wonderful start,"_  Linus informed Edgar.  
  
_"Two years? That is a damn shame. And the Princes' middle child too, Phillip. They arrested him as well, from what I heard,"_ Edgar shook his head.  
  
_"They did. Victoria is devastated, of course. Edward is not pleased either...he reckons that we should go to Azkaban and raze it completely, but I feel that such an act is a bit overkill. Not that I have not considered it myself, but I feel that it would jeopardize our cause and draw unwanted attention before we are ready to reveal ourselves to the world."_  
  
_"It's unfortunate,"_  Edgar said with a sigh, cleaning off one of the bones that rest on the counter with a rag.  _"Two promising members of the next generation, and that promise is squandered so long as they remain behind bars."_    
  
Virgil accidentally brushed up against an object that let out a hearty yell, causing him to jump backward and nearly fall into one of the shelves.  
  
Rather than be upset by this display, Edgar let out a hearty chuckle.  _"Oh dear, I always do love when people set that thing off. Their reactions are always priceless."_  With a quick wave of his wand, the object was silenced, and Virgil tried to breathe deeply a few times in order to slow his racing heart.  
  
_"Who do we have here?"_  the man asked, eyeing Virgil curiously.  
  
_"That is actually the primary reason why I stopped by today, although I will admit that I have purchases of my own to make as well,"_  Linus confessed.  _"You see, I offered Virgil here a reward for good behavior, and he decided that he wished to explore this shop."_  
  
_"Oh? The bosses will be pleased to hear that the high reputation of this shop continues to the next generation,"_  Edgar chortled.  _"Virgil, you said his name was?"_  
  
_"Indeed. My younger son, one year junior to Lionel,"_  Linus explained.  
  
Virgil shifted a little where he stood. Now that all of the attention was on him, it was harder to concentrate on looking at the items in the shop.  
  
_"Another chip off the old block!"_  Edgar shouted in delight.  _"You're doing a wonderful job, Linus. Two proud pureblood boys. Though let's hope that this one does not join his brother in Azkaban."_  
  
"I won't make the same mistakes Lionel did. I plan to  _learn_ from his," Virgil blurted out, causing both Linus and Edgar to stare at him. Virgil felt awkward under their gaze, but he found that he could not stay silent so long as Edgar teasingly compared him to his brother. He still looked up to his brother and recognized Lionel's  _attempts_  to carry out the cause, but Lionel's arrest meant that the older Thompson son's attempts fell short of what Linus truly wanted - and Virgil hoped to bridge that gap.

 _"Of course, of course,"_  Edgar responded.  _"I would expect nothing less. My boy, has anything in this shop piqued your interest?"_  
  
There were a  _lot_  of items in the shop that piqued Virgil's interest, truthfully. However, Linus offered to purchase him a singular  _gift_  - and Virgil suspected that the price of the entirety of the store was a bit too steep.  
  
...well, maybe not the entire store. The item he bumped into earlier that screeched at him, as well as the bones on the counter? He could do without those.

There was one item that stood out to Virgil the slightest bit more than the rest, and Virgil lifted his finger and pointed to it. "That eye. I would like that eye," he said at last.  
  
_"The glass eye? It is enchanted so that its gaze will perpetually follow whoever is closest to it. A nice choice. What say you, Linus?"_  Edgar turned to Linus, who was already retrieving several Galleons from a bag within his pocket.  
  
_"I'd say that my boy has impeccable tastes. The apple does not fall far from the tree,"_  Linus responded.  
  
He quickly paid the man before motioning for Virgil to follow him. Virgil did so, intrigued. The older wizard stopped in front of a street vendor with several containers of liquid on her cart. He stroked his chin as he took a close look at the bottles.  _"I would like a bottle of these two poisons,"_  Linus told the vendor.   
  
Ah, poisons. That was what the vendor was selling. Then what were the candles at the edge of the cart?

 _"Poisonous candles, my dear boy. Go ahead and take one. It's on the house,"_  the cart owner told him with a smile.  
  
Virgil grinned, quickly selecting a black candle from the assortment, then turned back to his father.   
  
Linus motioned for him to head back into Borgin and Burkes so that they may use the fireplace once more. Father and son both bid Edgar farewell before heading back to their home.  
  
Virgil could not  _wait_  to check out his new treasures.


	20. Chapter 20

Virgil wasn't sure what he was about to see.  
  
His father informed him that he had something to show Virgil, especially upon seeing Virgil's interest in dark objects. It was something that only higher ranking members of the Council knew about, he informed Virgil, and thus he was seeing something truly special indeed.  
  
"If only the higher ranking members of the Council know about it, why are you showing me, father?" Virgil frowned. He certainly wasn't a high ranking member. He'd only just joined.  
  
Linus merely chuckled.  _"Benefits of being the son of a high ranking member. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Virgil."_  
  
"Will it advance the cause?" Virgil asked.  
  
 _"If all goes as planned, I believe that it will,"_  Linus responded.  
  
That was all Virgil needed to hear. A dark object that would advance the cause?   
  
They entered a room where a witch was standing over a book. A large cauldron sat on the other side of the room. It sat over a burner, but said burner was unlit. Against the wall was a young man of perhaps fifteen at most held within a cell. Much to Virgil's surprise, he felt a pang of...something, but it went away as quickly as it came.  
  
"What is it that you wish to show me in here, father?" Virgil said with a frown.  
  
 _"You're looking at it,"_  Linus said, the corners of his mouth drawing upward into a smirk.  
  
Virgil was confused. The only thing that he was looking at was the young boy in the cell. "I don't see any dark objects in here, just a cauldron, a book, and a boy being held in a cell."  
  
 _"The boy in the cell,"_  Linus remarked, as if commenting on the weather.  _"It is the boy in the cell that will further our cause greater than anything else thus far, if we play our cards correctly."_  
  
Virgil stared at his father. Had he gone mad? "That's...how on Earth would  _he_  further the cause greater than anything else? He's younger than me!"  
  
 _"Looks can be deceiving, Virgil. There is more to what you are looking at than meets the eye. I take it you have not observed the necklace that adorns his neck?"_  Linus asked.  
  
Virgil noticed, for the first time, that the boy wore a necklace. "Was that necklace at Borgin and Burkes?" he asked with a frown as he took a few steps closer in an attempt to get a better look.  
  
Linus arched an eyebrow.  _"No, it was not. Why do you ask?"_  
  
"Just curious is all. It looks like something one might find on the shelves there," Virgil responded. The necklace seemed almost  _familiar_  to him for some reason, but where would he have seen the necklace other than Borgin and Burkes?  
  
 _"It was at Borgin and Burkes once, as a matter of fact. Your brother was going to take it to school with him, see if he might curse a Mudblood with it,"_  Linus explained.  _"But then we discovered a deeper, darker nature to the necklace, something far more promising than what we originally thought...Virgil, have you heard of a horcrux?"_  
  
Virgil turned to look at his father, his eyes going wide. "A horcrux? But father, that's one of the darkest forms of magic of all!"  
  
Linus nodded, casting an appreciative glance toward the necklace.  _"I know. It's wonderful, isn't it?"_  
  
Virgil hastily nodded. "That still doesn't explain the boy, though. What does the boy have to do with anything?"  
  
 _"The boy is playing host to the soul trapped within the horcrux. A soul that we are hoping to free, though we need to secure the correct ingredients and brew the potion,"_  Linus told him.  
  
"So...we need to keep him because he's the host?" Virgil guessed.  
  
Linus shook his head, which only confused Virgil that much more. Why else would they be keeping the boy, were it not for his being the host for the soul trapped within the horcrux?  _"We need to keep him because he is one of the last living relatives of the wizard who made the horcrux, and his blood is required for the potion to work properly."_  
  
Comprehension dawned at last on Virgil's features. "Oh...so you need to keep him around at least until the potion's ready. I get it now."  
  
Linus nodded. The witch previously reading the book came up behind Linus.  _"Sir, would you mind coming over here real quick? I have come across a passage in the book that I think you should read,"_  she told him.  
  
Linus went to join the witch, while Virgil approached the holding cell to get a closer look at the necklace.

Virgil went as slowly and quietly as he possibly could, so as not to wake the boy sleeping within the cell.  
  
 _"If you like my necklace so much, why don't you take it for yourself? I think it would look right at home around your neck,"_  a cold voice spoke. Virgil startled and took a few steps backward. The boy in the cell - or the spirit controlling him, rather - chuckled at the sight.  
  
 _"You thought I was asleep,"_  he observed. Virgil nodded, unsure what else to do. He was unsure if he should even stick around. As fascinated as he was by the horcrux, this was setting off all sorts of alarms within his head.  
  
"Well, yeah," Virgil responded, biting back the urge to point out that most people who kept their eyes closed for a significant length of time did so because they were asleep. He was all for snark, but when he was dealing with a wizard who was powerful enough to make a  _horcrux_? Well, let's just say that Virgil knew when to pick his battles.  
  
 _"Virgil Thompson,"_  the possessed boy said.  
  
"Did my father tell you my name?" Virgil tried to keep his voice as even as possible.  
  
The possessed boy shook his head.  _"I have other ways of knowing who you are, Virgil. I saw you briefly at Hogwarts."_  He let out another cold chuckle, sending chills down Virgil's spine.  
  
"Since...since you know my name, can I at least have yours?" Virgil inquired with all of the courage that he could muster. At least then he would not have to refer to him as the 'possessed boy' in his thoughts.  
  
The possessed boy seemed to consider what he was saying, then shrugged.  _"Peterson. You may refer to me as Peterson,"_  he said at last.  
  
"Peterson. Why do I suspect that is not the name you used in life?" Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
 _"I must give you credit - you are clever. Too bad that you are not clever enough to see what is hidden right beneath your nose,"_ Peterson smirked.  
  
"What is hidden...what do you mean by that?" Virgil frowned.  
  
Peterson chuckled, but this time it rankled Virgil more than it frightened him.  _"I suspect that you will find out soon enough. In the meantime, I shall sit back and enjoy the show."_  
  
And Peterson did just that, sitting back against the wall of his cell looking far too comfortable for someone who was technically being kept behind bars.  
  
Virgil was beginning to suspect that said bars were just for show - or perhaps in the event of Peterson's host temporarily regaining control. Either way, Virgil was admittedly relieved when he heard his father calling out for him. He cast one last glance at Peterson before he continued on his way.  
  
Virgil was confused and more than a little unnerved. He was not about to actively question his father, knowing his father's position within the Council - but he wondered just what his father and his cohorts hoped to accomplish by resurrecting Peterson. Sure, it might help them to advance the cause...but did they truly understand what they were getting themselves into? 


	21. Chapter 21

The group, minus Virgil and Astrit, met frequently in their usual secluded spot. Despite a good many attempts, they'd had little in the way of success thus far. There was relatively little that they could do while they were still at Hogwarts - and they suspected that Virgil and Astrit were  _not_ , as they'd disappeared during a trip to Hogsmeade. Hogsmeade allowed apparition, unlike the Hogwarts Grounds, which meant that Virgil and Astrit could be anywhere in the country, or even the  _world_.  
  
It did not seem like they were getting anywhere until one day when Roman called them to the room to share a letter that he'd received from one of his cousins.  
  
 _"I thought you cut off all contact with your family?"_  Chelsea asked him with an arched eyebrow.  
  
 _"I did cut off contact with that particular segment of my family. However, I have a cousin who parted ways with the family years ago. I remain in contact with him. And he spotted something very peculiar in Knockturn Alley,"_  Roman explained.  
  
 _"Peculiar? Peculiar how?"_  Logan asked, leaning a bit closer.  
  
 _"He spotted Linus Thompson in Borgin and Burkes,"_  Roman responded.  
  
 _"Linus Thompson? Isn't that Virgil's father?"_  Paige inquired.  
  
 _"And isn't Borgin and Burkes a shop known for sketchy dealings and even more sketchy items? After what happened with Deceit you wouldn't think he'd want to be caught shopping there,"_  Elliott pointed out.  
  
 _"Yes, but that's the thing about Knockturn Alley - almost everyone in Knockturn Alley is there for something sketchy, so they're not likely to go reporting you to anyone,"_  Roman continued.  
  
 _"...that's pretty messed up,"_  Shane observed.  
  
 _"What else did he say?"_  Patton asked curiously.  
  
 _"You guys better brace yourself - He told me Linus was in there with a young man around our age,"_  Roman replied.  
  
 _"Deceit?"_  Era blinked.  _"But Deceit's in Azkaban, and we would have heard if he broke out, wouldn't we?"_  
  
 _"Deceit's face kinda stands out, if you recall correctly,"_  Roman told them.  _"And he didn't say that half the young man's face was covered in scales. He said the young man had eyeliner under his eyes."_  
  
 _"...Virgil?"_  Patton's eyes flew wide. 

 _"I don't get it. Why would Virgil be there? Why risk it, when that is giving Virgil an opportunity to escape?"_  Paige frowned.

Roman was abnormally silent at this point - something that Logan not only took note of but felt the need to address.  _"There is more to the letter, isn't there?"_  Logan inquired, indirectly urging Roman to proceed.  
  
The Gryffindor cleared his throat at this point.  _"There were no signs of a struggle. As a matter of fact, though my brother could not hear the conversation...from what he could tell, Virgil was an active participant."_  
  
There was a pause. Whether it was for dramatic effect, or because Roman expected someone to say something was unknown, but the news that Virgil was spotted actively engaging in a conversation with his father and a Borgin and Burkes employee was more than a little strange.  
  
 _"Was there anything else?"_  Era finally asked.  
  
Roman took in a deep breath, as if he had to pull himself together before he could say the next part.  _"Virgil...pointed to some enchanted disembodied eye thing. The shopkeeper fetched it for him and his father purchased it. He and his father left Borgin and Burkes, at which point my brother tried to hide himself so be wouldn't get caught. So he might not have caught all of their conversation. But the two of them approached a cart. Linus purchased a couple of poisons and Virgil..the cart owner offered him a free poison candle and he accepted it eagerly before following his father back into Borgin and Burkes."_

The silence that ensued after that revelation was even longer than the first.   
  
 _"And he made no attempts to escape his father. Not even once?"_ Era said with a frown.  
  
 _"Not only that, but it sounds as if he was genuinely enjoying himself,"_  Roman squinted down at the letter in his hands once more, as if staring at it for long enough would offer more answers than it already provided.  
  
 _"Something is amiss,"_  Logan stated.  
  
 _"A-duh, tell us something we don't know,"_  Roman folded his arms across his chest.  
  
 _"Fine, I will,"_  Logan retorted.  _"Clearly someone has addled Virgil's mind in some way or another. For him to willingly accompany his father on an outing to Knockturn Alley and express joy upon receiving dark items...it is peculiar and far from what we've come to expect from Virgil."_  
  
 _"Is he under the Imperius Curse?"_  Patton asked apprehensively.  
  
 _"It is possible, though his reaction to the Imperius Curse during previous incidents would suggest that this method would be a difficult one to pursue with Virgil, and success would be far from guaranteed,"_  Logan responded.

 _"What does that mean? What should we do?"_  Shane frowned. It was a sentiment shared with the rest of the room by the looks of it.

 _"We must make our plans carefully. We may only have one attempt at this,"_  Logan admitted.  
  
 _"One attempt at what, Specs?"_  Roman gaped at him.  
  
 _"One attempt at rescuing Virgil. We must also bear in mind that Virgil may not come along with us willingly, given what Roman's cousin witnessed,"_  Logan reasoned.  
  
Era let out a shaky sigh.  _"And what about Astrit? Has anyone heard anything from him?"_  
  
 _"I suspect they have him as well, Era,"_  Logan explained.  
  
 _"How do you figure?"_  Era arched an eyebrow.  
  
 _"Simple - Virgil and Astrit disappeared concurrently. This was either an incredibly well-timed coincidence, or the disappearances were connected. If we find one of them, we are likely to find the other. As we have no leads for Astrit...we will follow this one,"_  Logan announced.  
  
Era took in a deep breath before her eyes meeting Logan's.  _"Alright. Let's get your boyfriend and my brother back."_


	22. Chapter 22

Virgil did not question his father's choice to take him out of Hogwarts. He believed Linus when Linus told him that he had greater opportunities outside of Hogwarts than inside of Hogwarts, and Virgil had no reason  _not_  to believe him.  
  
He still didn't expect to hear a knock at the door one day. Father hadn't mentioned that they were expecting guests, which left him feeling a little apprehensive, though he was at least in a decent robe rather than his pajamas. Virgil wondered if he would even be expected to greet their guests, or if this was to be solely a meeting between Linus and a few associates. Virgil usually stayed well out of the way during those meetings.   
  
 _"Virgil, come along down the stairs. We have guests,"_  his father called up. Virgil took that as his cue.  
  
He descended the staircase, relaxing the slightest bit when he saw the familiar faces of Victoria and Edward Prince. But there was a third unfamiliar young man standing beside the couple. He looked to be in his mid-20s.  
  
"Hello," Virgil greeted each of them with a slight nod.   
  
Victoria smiled warmly.  _"Virgil, I hope you do not mind, but your father, Edward, and I have made an arrangement."_  
  
"An arrangement?" Virgil sent a puzzled glance in the direction of his father. "What sort of arrangement?"  
  
 _"You may be free of Hogwarts, but your education will continue,"_ Linus informed him.  
  
"I'm not sure I understand..." Virgil managed to force out. Was his father sending him to a different school? What did the Princes have to do with it? And who was the young man with them?  
  
 _"This is our eldest son, James,"_  Edward Prince began.  _"We thought it would be beneficial to your future with the Council to learn a few skills that are not available to pupils at Hogwarts. Do not get me wrong, Hogwarts is a fine school, but I will maintain that they are far too lenient when it comes to who they let attend the school. Salazar Slytherin was a very wise man; if only the other founders listened to him."_

As soon as Edward Prince mentioned subjects not taught at Hogwarts Virgil had his suspicions, but dare he voice them?  
  
 _"I think you will find that James possesses an amazing talent for the Dark Arts. It is our hope that his tutelage will work to your benefit,"_  Victoria Prince told him with a smile.  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. He looked at the two Princes, then to their son James, then to his father. "Dark Arts? You want me to study the Dark Arts?"  
  
Linus nodded.  _"Not only do I wish for you to study the Dark Arts, but I think you will find that some practice in the Dark Arts is essential to a position on the Council."_  
  
Virgil looked to James. Though he tried to remain calm, the grin slowly creeping it's way across his face belied his excitement.

 _"I believe now would be a good time for an introductory lesson, actually,"_  Edward told them, though his focus was more on James than on Virgil.  
  
 _"Ah yes. You may use our spare room. The three of us have business we will attend to out here,"_  Linus explained.  _"Virgil, care to show him where our spare room is?"_  
  
"Of course, father," Virgil nodded and beckoned for James to follow him. Virgil opened the door to a large room that afforded plenty of space for two young wizards to practice their spellwork. Once James was in the room, Virgil closed the door behind them.

 _"Do you have any questions for me before we begin or do you want to set to work right away?"_  James asked by way of breaking the ice.   
  
Virgil was grateful for it. "You can start," he responded.  
  
James retrieved his wand from his pocket. Virgil did likewise. Even if he didn't actually cast any spells today, he could at least practice the wand movements.  
  
 _"You are the second Thompson that I am teaching,"_  James told him casually.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise. "I am?"  
  
James gave a slight nod.  _"I taught your older brother too. He took to it all very quickly. No pressure...just thought you might like to know that I have high expectations."_  
  
Because saying  _that_  did not put him under pressure at all.  
  
"Did you teach him how to become an Animagus as well?" Virgil wondered.  
  
 _"I did not. That was Draven,"_  James responded.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. "Let me guess, he can turn into a raven?"  
  
 _"Yes, actually."_  
  
"Wait...seriously?" Virgil eyed James incredulously.  
  
 _"Yes, though I would not tease him about it too much. You are still working to earn the respect of our elders in the Council, after all."_  
  
"Still...Draven the Raven?" Virgil arched an eyebrow upward.  
  
James opted not to respond to Virgil's comment, and instead instructed Virgil to take a seat. Virgil did so, wondering what his first lesson would be on.

Virgil was excited to learn about the curse that James planned to teach him about - Fiendfyre - but found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on what James was saying. At first he thought that perhaps he just needed a nap, but then he realized that his mind was moving much slower than James' lecture.  
  
It wasn't until Virgil failed to lift his wand at James' instruction that James noticed.  
  
 _"Hello? Earth to Virgil?"_  James waved his hand in front of Virgil's face.  
  
"I-I don't...I...I..." was all Virgil managed to force out before everything faded to black.

Coming to after losing consciousness is often a disorienting affair. Even more so when one's surroundings are notably different than they were prior to blacking out.  
  
Virgil was still in the same room, but as Virgil followed James' line of sight, he realized that he and James were no longer alone. They were joined by Linus, Victoria, and Edward, who immediately swooped in on him once they realized he was coming to.  
  
So much for having an opportunity to regain his bearings before anything else...


	23. Chapter 23

Virgil immediately cast his gaze downward toward the floor and closed his eyes. He was only  _just_  waking up, what happened to letting someone know what was happening before converging on them all at once like that?  
  
 _"Edward, I want you to contact the leader of the Council right away. Virgil, my boy, you did wonderfully,"_  Linus told him, wrapping his arms around Virgil at once.  
  
Virgil had to  _fight_  his initial reaction to jerk away from his father's touch.  
  
At first he wasn't certain why. He was being praised by his father - something that he frequently strove to do.  
  
Then he realized that it was because he wasn't certain of what he was being praised  _for_. No one was explaining  _anything_  to him and it was highly frustrated.  
  
"Thank you father, but I...what  _happened_?" he questioned.  
  
Linus embraced his son once more.  _"You fell into a trance. You gave a prophecy!"_  
  
The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes. Sure, he was being praised by his father, but it was for something that he could not control.   
  
So why was his father happier about  _this_  than anything else that Virgil had done for the cause?   
  
And why was he even  _thinking_  like this? He should be proud that the Council was going to hear his prophecy, he should be proud that the others were fussing over him the way that they were! He had a  _gift_!  
  
But that was just it...they were fussing over him, and the prophecy, and didn't seem to understand that he was frustrated and disoriented and...and...  
  
Kinda wanted to be left  _alone_  at the moment.  
  
"Father, I'm feeling a bit strange..." he tried to say, but Linus instead threw his arm around his son's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  
  
 _"You did great, Virgil. The Council will be pleased to hear that your ability showcased itself once more!"_  
  
The Council. Of course they would be happy, but...  
  
"Father, what did I say?"   
  
Linus waved his hand.  _"Don't let such matters concern you, the Council will ensure that your prophecy is utilized to advance the cause."_  
  
"But I want to know..."  
  
 _"As I said, don't let such matters concern you! All that matters is that your prophecy will be utilized to advance what we have been working toward for generations. You are dismissed."_  
  
"But father..."  
  
Linus waved him away, turning to converse with Victoria and Edward. Even James joined in.  
  
Virgil headed off to his room, pasting a stoic expression on his face until he closed the door behind him.

He seated himself at the edge of his bed, placing his head in his hands as he let loose a tremulous sigh. His father's reaction to his vision was so  _different_  from everything that he recalled. His father had always been there for him in the past, but he didn't seem to give a passing thought to how Virgil felt  _now_  - only to the prophecy itself and the benefits that it would provide to the  _Council_.  
  
Was it because the Princes were present? Would he come in later on and apologize, but explain that he had business he needed to attend to first? Virgil laid back on his bed, resting his head on his pillow. He closed his eyes tight. It was all  _too much_.

He waited and waited, but Linus never entered his room to check on him. He eventually drifted to sleep and had the most  _bizarre_  dream.  
  
 _"Virgil? VIRGIL? Oh honey, it's okay, I'm here..."  
  
Virgil cracked his eyes open, the worried face of his mother greeting him. Worried? Why was she worried?  
  
Why was he on the floor?  
  
"Mom? What happened?" he asked, feeling confused and a bit scared.  
  
"You...you passed out. You were...how are you feeling? I know you weren't feeling well for most of the day..."   
  
"I'm...I dunno. I feel kinda weird," Virgil admitted. Not weird like before, he felt strangely better in that regard, but weird like he didn't know what was going on and his head was spinning as a result.  
  
His mother smiled (though even at the age of eight Virgil could tell that it was forced), and ran a hand through his hair.  _"Why don't you go to bed and get some sleep?"__  
  
Virgil nodded, making his way to his room. The last thing he saw before she closed the door was the concerned expression she cast his way when she thought he wasn't looking.

Virgil sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair. His first prophecy - he would recognize that scene anywhere. But the initial events played out so  _differently_. He knew it was a dream, because the dream clashed with everything else he remembered about the event.  
  
Yet he  _longed_  for it. How could he long so much for something he never had? His mother would never treat him so kindly after a prophecy, his memories told him so. She  _hated_  what he could do, considered it a curse. Painful memories crashed over him like a stormy sea over a tiny sailboat.  
  
Then again, he thought his  _father_  would be there for him after this one, hadn't he?  
  
Virgil hardly noticed his vision beginning to blur until he felt something wet hit his cheeks. He immediately reached upward to run his hands over his eyes, dabbing at them. Great, now he was  _crying_. He inhaled deeply in an attempt to steel himself.  
  
His mind clearly longed for someone who cared about how  _he_ felt after everything that happened...it was just too bad that such a thing was only possible in a dream.   
  
Virgil finished wiping his eyes and straightened his shoulders before exiting his room, ready to join the fray once more. And if Linus didn't want to know how he felt? That was fine. It was all fine. Virgil was eighteen. Linus did not need to know  _everything_.


	24. Chapter 24

Virgil asked James how he might supplement his Dark Arts lessons one day. James, delighted, informed him of a book store in Knockturn Alley that specialized in books pertaining to the Dark Arts.   
  
Linus was out for the day, tending to Council business as usual. Virgil longed for the day when he might be able to join in and put in his own efforts for the cause, but for the time being? He supposed that he could take matters into his own hands.   
  
Again, he did not  _need_  to tell Linus where he was going. He was certain that Linus would approve of his paying another visit to Knockturn Alley. Virgil made sure to check their supply of Floo Powder before setting any plans into stone - fortunately they had plenty leftover.  
  
 _"Going out, Master Virgil?"_  Virgil turned on the spot at the squeaky voice.  
  
"Yes, though I don't see how that is any of your business," Virgil scoffed.  
  
Mopsy frowned. Had he not considered her a lesser creature, he might have felt bad for being snippy toward her. As it stood, though, he was merely annoyed that he was being distracted.  _"Its not, I just wondered if you wished for me to clean your room while you are out?"_  
  
"As long as you don't mess anything up, I don't see why not. And believe me, I will know if anything is off when I return," he told her warningly.  
  
Mopsy hastily nodded.  _"Mopsy promises everything will be clean and just as Master Virgil left it when he returns!"_  With that she ran off, presumably to fetch some rags. Virgil let out a sigh.  
  
"One more thing, Mopsy," he told her when she came running back.  
  
 _"Yes Master Virgil?"_  she tilted her head in anticipation.  
  
"...thanks," he told her.

Mopsy looked slightly bewildered, but continued on her way.  
  
She wasn't the only one who felt that way. Virgil could not quite understand what drove him to want to  _thank_  Mopsy, considering his usual attitude toward her. Shaking his head, Virgil took some of the Floo Powder into his hand and threw it into the fireplace. "Knockturn Alley!" he called out, closing his eyes immediately. He felt the sensations one associated with using Floo Powder, but at least he did not have to deal with the dizzying sights that typically accompanied that.  
  
He appeared in Borgin and Burke's. Edgar was once again working, but he appeared to be with a customer at the moment and Virgil hoped to exit the shop with little fanfare. Unfortunately, this was not to be as Edgar noted his presence and called out to him.  
  
 _"Mr. Thompson, back so soon?"_    
  
Virgil nodded. "I'm...yeah, there's a few things I didn't get to check out in Knockturn Alley last time." He found it hard to look at Edgar though...what if Edgar got mad that Virgil wasn't planning on sticking around Borgin and Burkes this time around?  
  
 _"Ah yes, you and your father did not spend much time in Knockturn Alley the last time you visited. I trust you are enjoying your glass eye?"_  Edgar questioned.  
  
Virgil relaxed a little at this. "Yes...I've been testing it to see what it can detect," he revealed, grateful that he could at least provide  _some_  sort of feedback to Edgar's inquiry.   
  
 _"Well I hope you enjoy this trip to Knockturn Alley, and don't forget to check back in here when you are finished! Perhaps you may find something else that you'd enjoy."_  
  
Virgil managed a nod then continued on his way. He felt a little less confident now that he was exploring Knockturn Alley  _alone_  rather than accompanied by his father, but he remained intrigued nevertheless. There were several shops that stood out to him during their last visit, but Virgil hadn't wanted to distract Linus at the time. This time, he could do what he wanted to.  
  
The bookstore James told him about was on the list, of course, but there were other shops as well. Fledermaus and Tanner Bats & Skins? The Spiny Serpent? The Starry Prophesier? Prophesier...like prophecies and Divination? Intriguing. Virgil began walking toward The Starry Prophesier on what almost felt like autopilot.   
  
Upon stepping inside of the little shop, Virgil realized that his suspicion was correct - The shop was dedicated toward  _Divination_.  
  
Like most shops within Knockturn Alley, however, The Starry Prophesier had a certain Dark Magic tilt. There were more mundane Divination items like crystal balls and tarot cards, but there were also books on how to read the future from the remains of animals, and one particular book that suggested using  _sacrifices_  to appease one's Inner Eye to learn control and mastery over it.  
  
 _"Can I help you?"_  a woman approached the counter, Virgil jolting a little in his surprise.  _"I take it you didn't See me coming?"_  she added with a slight smirk.  
  
Despite his discomfort, the corners of Virgil's mouth twitched at this. "The Sight usually does not work like that..."  
  
 _"No, it does not, though there are very few who possess the true Sight anyway. It is a very rare gift..."_  If Virgil had to make a guess? The sigh that followed this admission meant that this woman was one of those who did  _not_  possess true Sight like he did. Not that Virgil had any plans to correct her or draw any attention to the fact that he  _did_  have such an ability. Unless she was associated with the Council and recognized him from there - one could never tell around Knockturn Alley.  
  
She showed no signs that she recognized him, however, nor did she look familiar to Virgil himself.   
  
Virgil also made his way to the bookstore, where he purchased a couple of books that he had not seen within his father's library. One contained several curses and spells he'd yet to hear of - he would ask James about them during their next session. The other book was on horcruxes. They made for a very interesting piece of magic, but knowing that the boy possessed by the Horcrux's spirit had no say in the matter, that he was essentially being used and controlled as a puppet by another...  
  
The subject of Horcruxes  _terrified_  and discomforted him just as much as it intrigued him.  
  
Virgil left the shop with both books and the tarot cards in hand and began to make his way back toward Borgin and Burkes. He was glancing down at one of the covers when he nearly walked into a person.  
  
 _"I'm terribly sorry, I should have been watching where I was going, but I was trying to find some...wait a minute."_  The bespectacled young man seemed to struggle with himself as he caught a closer glimpse of Virgil's face, his eyes going almost comically wide.  _"Virgil?"_  he asked.


	25. Chapter 25

Virgil and the bespectacled young man stared at each other for what felt like several hours; truthfully, only a minute or so passed.  
  
This young man, this  _stranger_...called him by his name?  
  
"How do you know my name? Are you part of the Council?" Virgil questioned.  
  
There was a flash of what Virgil would swear to be  _pain_  in the young man's expression, but just as soon as Virgil blinked it was gone. He convinced himself that he'd imagined it. The young man looked perfectly fine, not injured in any way.  
  
_"I...er, no,"_  the young man responded.  
  
Virgil snapped his fingers. "We went to Hogwarts together! You were in...Ravenclaw, weren't you?"  
  
The young man nodded, silent for another several seconds.  _"I would like to...I would like to speak with you about something, if you would not mind?"_  
  
Virgil was caught off guard by the candidness of such a question from someone he hardly knew, but supposed there could be no harm in it.  
  
The two made their way behind one of the buildings and Logan let out a shaky sigh.  _"I was...I noticed that you did not return to Hogwarts."_  
  
Virgil shook his head. "I am being home-schooled by my father now."  
  
This time it was unmistakable - that same expression, almost as if he had to stop himself from flinching backward at Virgil's words.  
  
How strange.  
  
_"Virgil, have you been...experiencing any strange sensations as of late?"_  
  
"Dude, that's kind of personal..."  
  
The Ravenclaw looked as if he was about to say something back, then stopped himself and let out an almost defeated sounding sigh.  _"I know, and I apologize, but I am curious. Have you experienced...how shall I put this...thoughts and feelings that go against your image of yourself and your life as you know it?"_  
  
...the hell kind of question was that? That went beyond personal to downright invasive! And yet...he  _had_. He  _had_ experienced that. The dream concerning his mother. His  _thanking_  Mopsy. The way certain things that most certainly were not familiar  _felt_  as if they were.  
  
_"You have, haven't you?"_  
  
"I..."  
  
_"Logan, there you are! Roman and I were looking all over for you! Wait...Virgil? Virgil! I've missed you so much, buddy!"_  Before Virgil could say anything in response, he felt a pair of arms encircle him. For a split second he felt almost at home in them...but then he registered what was happening and pushed his accoster away from him at once.  
  
"What the hell?" Virgil snapped. Another bespectacled young man (he, too, was familiar in a way) stumbled backward, though managed to catch himself before he fell.  
  
_"Virgil?"_  he frowned, tilting his head in confusion.  
  
_"Patton, I told you not to run off without me, I almost lost you..."_ Another voice interrupted the reverie. Another young man came around the corner. He stopped talking at once as he laid his eyes on Virgil.  
  
Virgil recognized his face at once. How could he not, when he'd been fraternizing with his parents and brother so often as of late? The familial resemblance was unmistakable. "Roman Prince," Virgil scowled, venom dripping from his words.  
  
Patton flinched backward.  
  
Virgil a peculiar swooping sensation in his gut that was quickly replaced by a feeling of stark satisfaction. "That's right, stay away from me if you know what's good for you,  _Mudblood_. I should curse you right now for getting your dirt all over me."  
  
Roman's eyes narrowed.  _"Do not speak to my boyfriend that way!"_  
  
Virgil snickered. "I'll speak to him however I damn well please,  _Princey_. By the way...I would tell you Mommy and Daddy say hi but I think they're doing a lot better without you. Having a blood traitor around really dampens the mood, you know?"  
  
_"Virgil, stop talking like this, this isn't you..."_  Patton whined.  
  
Virgil cast an incredulous look in Patton's direction. "Who are  _you_  to know what is and isn't me, Mudblood?"  
  
_"I'm your best friend! We've been friends since third year!"_  Patton protested.  
  
Virgil stared at Patton for several seconds. Then Virgil began to laugh, and Patton's expression looked akin to having been stabbed in the gut. "Me? Best friends with a Mudblood? Who do you think you're kidding?"  
  
_"But it's true, Virgil! I don't know what your father's been telling you, but..."_  
  
Virgil narrowed his eyes. "What is this about my father?"  
  
_"Your father modified your memories. What Patton is saying is true,"_  Roman told him with such a serious expression that Virgil had to bite his lip to keep himself from bursting into laughter all over again.  
  
"And...you expect me to believe this? With what  _proof_?" Virgil said with a snort.  
  
_"Come on Virgil, please. Just come with us and we'll explain everything,"_  Patton reached out and grabbed Virgil's hand.  
  
Virgil pulled his hand away in revulsion. "I  _told_  you not to touch me, Mudblood!" he hissed. A jet of light burst forth from his wand and struck Patton in the face.  
  
_"How dare you strike my boyfriend in that way! Furnunculus!"_ Roman roared, aiming his wand in Virgil's direction.  
  
_"Roman, stop!"_  Logan urged, but it was too late. Frustrated at being ignored, he muttered something under his breath, small lights escaping from the end of his wand into the surrounding air.  
  
Virgil was able to dodge Roman's spell, but the duel continued. The two were fairly evenly matched, which meant that they rarely were able to strike one another, though Roman earned a large scratch on his arm and Virgil a pain in his stomach as if someone punched him with their full strength.  
  
_"Guys, please, stop fighting! Virgil, if you would just listen to me..."_  Patton pleaded.  
  
A brilliant,  _terrible_  idea burrowed its way to the forefront of Virgil's mind. Roman Prince hedged so much of his happiness on the Mudblood...what a terrible blow it would be...  
  
Virgil shifted his wand from Roman to Patton, too fast for Roman to react. "Av-" he paused mid-word, looking almost stricken, before narrowing his eyes and gripping his wand tighter, "-Crucio!" he shouted. A jet of red light shot forth from Virgil's wand, striking Patton. He crumpled to the ground, unable to bite back the screams of pain.  
  
Virgil stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the scene before doing something that he hoped that he would not regret.  
  
He threw up a puff of smoke and chose this moment to flee, leaving a devastated Logan, Patton, and Roman in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Merry Christmas? =D


	26. Chapter 26

After making their way back from Knockturn Alley, Logan, Roman, and Patton converged in the room they were sharing at the Leaky Cauldron. Rather than go home to their families for the Christmas holiday, the three opted to get a room in Diagon Alley and keep an eye out for any signs that Virgil may return to Knockturn Alley.  
  
They expected to encounter him. They even expected it to possibly go awry. Still, nothing could have prepared them for what happened behind that building in Knockturn Alley.   
  
Patton was still shaken. If looks could kill, anyone who made eye contact with Roman on the way back to the inn would have perished where they stood. Logan was silent, even as Patton and Roman began a discussion about the events that occurred.  
  
_"I'm going to_  kill  _that man the next time I see him,"_  Roman growled, pacing back and forth in their room like a cat stalking a mouse.  
  
Patton gasped, his hand flying over his mouth.  _"No! He's our friend, we have to..."_    
  
_"He is our friend no longer! He may have been our friend once, but that part of him is gone!"_ Roman bit back.  
  
_"No, it's not! It can't be!"_  Patton insisted.  _"I won't give up on him that easily!"_  he added, this time in a more assertive tone.  
  
_"He...h-he..."_  Roman's voice shook, and he had to close his eyes and inhale deeply in order to steel himself for what he was about to say next.  _"He used the Cruciatus Curse on you, Patton. He tortured you, and...and I didn't stop him in time, and..."_  Roman trailed off, covering his face with his hand as his shoulders shook.  
  
Patton fell silent. He still felt brief echoes of the intolerable pain that he experienced while under the effects of the Cruciatus Curse - a twinge in his arm here, a burning sensation on his neck there. It was not an experience that he ever wanted to experience again, but if he had to experience it in order to bring Virgil back? He'd step up again with no questions asked.  
  
_"It's not gone,"_  Logan murmured quietly.  
  
_"What?"_  Roman looked up, hastily reaching up with his hand to wipe the vestiges of tears from his eyes.  
  
_"It's not gone. The part of Virgil that was our friend. Is our friend."_  Logan's voice was louder than before, but still quieter than his usual speaking tone.

Patton's entire visage lit up at once. Roman, on the other hand, remained skeptical.  
  
_"Look, I know you love him, but there's no reason to give in to false hope. He's gone, Logan, and he's left a monster in his wake. A monster that needs to be dealt with,"_  he reached out to pat Logan on the shoulder, but Logan jerked away.  
  
_"He is NOT gone!"_  Logan hissed.  _"And I will not stand by and listen to you speak as if he's some villain that we need to vanquish!"_  
  
A dumbfounded look crossed Roman's features before he regained his composure and argued back.  _"But he_  is,  _Logan! He is the villain now! And the sooner we accept that the sooner we can bring him to just-"_    
  
_"Spare me your misplaced sense of justice!"_  Logan snarled, so much venom dripping from his tone that Roman actually flinched back.  
  
_"Is he...is he really gone?"_  Patton sniffed.   
  
_"No, he's not,"_  Logan replied.  
  
Roman stared at Logan.  _"Why are you not letting this drop? You saw the evidence for yourself!"_  
  
Logan folded his arms across his chest.  _"Yes, I have. And there is a very important piece of evidence that you are overlooking. I do not blame you, given what happened to Patton, but I do want you to stop and_  listen  _to the evidence that I have to present forth before you offer your final judgment on the matter."_  
  
A brief silence ensued.  _"Well, continue, don't leave us hanging like that,"_  Roman said after a moment or so, along with an accompanying hand motion urging Logan to do just that.  
  
_"Yes, Virgil used the Cruciatus Curse on Patton. However, it could have been much worse than that,"_  Logan asserted.  
  
_"...worse? How could it have been worse?"_  Roman gaped.  
  
_"He hesitated,"_  Logan observed.  
  
_"...yes, he hesitated, but he still cast the curse in the end!"_  Roman argued back, though his tone was a little less certain than it was before.  
  
_"He did, but he initially intended to cast a different curse entirely. He began with 'Av' before issuing the Cruciatus Curse. The Cruciatus Curse does not begin with an 'av' sound. Another curse, however, does.  Virgil initially intended to cast the_  Killing Curse  _on Patton, but something stopped him from doing so,"_  Logan explained.  
  
_"...did he remember?"_  Patton whispered in a tone so hopeful that it was almost painful for the other two to hear.  
  
Logan sighed.  _"Alas, I do not believe that it will be as simple as that. However, I do believe that the evidence that we have compiled suggests that there is still a chance that we may be able to retrieve Virgil from his father's grasp after all."_  
  
_"But how, Specs?"_  Roman questioned.  _"We blew our chances in Knockturn Alley! We may not have another chance!"_  
  
_"Please, Roman, we can't give up on him..."_  Patton urged.   
  
_"I may be formulating a rudimentary Plan B as we speak,"_  Logan revealed.  
  
Patton's eyes widened. Roman blinked, then offered Logan a satisfied nod.  _"Well, what are we waiting around for then? Let's get to it!"_

\-------------------------------------  
  
Virgil appeared in his bedroom after making his way back to Borgin and Burkes and Flooing back home, collapsing onto his bed and clutching his head as he tried to catch his breath. He'd nearly killed the Mudblood. He'd  _nearly killed the Mudblood_. Yet the thought of doing so did not bring him satisfaction the way that he thought it would...it made everything  _worse_. Virgil ground his teeth together. It didn't make sense. None of this made any sense!   
  
He knew that his father would  _never_  do something so horrific to him as what Princey and company suggested. Yet his mind kept coming back to what that Ravenclaw - Logan was it? - had to say.   
  
_Somehow_  Logan knew exactly how to describe what Virgil was feeling, and Virgil wasn't certain if he liked it. He also wasn't certain that he  _disliked_  it. Everything happening in his head was a jumbled mess and it made him want to scream.  
  
What on Earth was  _happening_  to him?


	27. Chapter 27

Much to Virgil's relief, a considerable amount of time passed before Linus returned home. Long enough for Virgil to collect himself and greet his father once he heard noise coming from elsewhere in the house.  
  
"Father?" he called out.   
  
 _"In the kitchen, Virgil,"_  Linus' voice answered back.   
  
Virgil made his way into the kitchen. "How did it go, father?"   
  
 _"Quite well, actually,"_  Linus responded.  _"We are making fast progress with the horcrux project, and the potion should be ready within a matter of weeks."_  
  
"That's great!" Virgil replied with a smile, though he chewed on the inside of his lip. He wasn't  _about_  to outwardly question his father and the Council's decisions regarding the horcrux, but the whole scenario still made him exceptionally nervous. What did they know about the creator of said horcrux? Was he trustworthy? Would he be willing to work with the Council even after obtaining his true body back?

On the other hand, if all went according to plan, it could be the best thing to happen for the cause in a long time.  
  
 _"Have you been studying?"_  his father's voice cut through his reverie.   
  
"I did a little," Virgil admitted.  
  
Linus frowned, his voice taking on a stern tone.  _"You know how important your studies are, Virgil..."_  
  
"Of course they are, father!" Virgil replied hastily, not wanting his father to get the wrong idea. "But James mentioned a bookstore in Knockturn Alley that I wanted to check out. He said it might have some interesting books to supplement our lessons."  
  
 _"You traveled to Knockturn Alley on your own?"_  Linus questioned.  
  
Virgil felt himself tense slightly, though he hoped that his father could not see as much. "I did, I figured you wouldn't mind..."  
  
 _"I would prefer if you would_  tell  _me if and when you are about to go on these sorts of outings, but you are essentially correct. I do not disapprove of how you made use of your time in this instance. Would you be willing to show me what you purchased?"_  Linus asked.  
  
Virgil nodded and headed to his room. He was going to grab both bags when he noted that one was damaged from his duel with Roman...scowling at the recollection, he tossed said bag aside and placed the item within into the single undamaged back that he brought back with him from Knockturn Alley. Then he headed back to the kitchen where his father awaited him.  
  
His father pulled the items out of the bag one by one.  
  
 _"Tarot cards. I take it you visited The Starry Prophesier?"_  
  
"I did," Virgil admitted.   
  
 _"Interested in learning more about your gift? I can hardly blame you,"_  Linus replied before pulling out the two books from the bookstore.  _"Oh my..."_  
  
Virgil wasn't sure what to make of that reaction. 'Oh my' could be interpreted in different ways, after all, and Virgil did not want to get his hopes up only to be disappointed. "What do you think?" he asked somewhat apprehensively.  
  
 _"I've said it before and I will say it again - You have impeccable tastes, my boy. This spellbook will prove as a wonderful supplement to your lessons with James, and this book about horcruxes...the Council's latest pet project has captured your interest more than I initially anticipated, I see,"_  Linus chuckled.  
  
"It has. I still have a lot of questions," Virgil confessed, though he left out that some of the questions were concerning the  _safety_  of the Council's plan, or how  _little_  he trusted Peterson to keep to his word to aid the Council once he gained his body back.  
  
How little he trusted Peterson  _period_.  
  
Fortunately for Virgil, Linus did not press any further into the specifics of Virgil's interest in horcruxes, but he  _did_  have more questions pertaining to his son's visit to Knockturn Alley.  _"But of course! Believe me, I do not at all fault you for your curiosity. Did you visit any other destinations while you were in Knockturn Alley? Cobb and Webbs? Or Mr. Mulpepper's, perhaps?"_  
  
"No, I didn't visit any of those places. Actually-" Virgil started.  
  
Linus looked at him expectantly.   
  
"I started off at Borgin and Burkes, then went to The Starry Prophesier and to the bookstore," Virgil finished. It wasn't what he initially intended to say, but by the time he said it he was confident that he made the right choice.  
  
 _"All fine choices for shopping, do not get me wrong. Perhaps we can visit the other destinations the next time we travel to Knockturn Alley?"_  Linus proposed.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Virgil agreed.  
  
He retreated to his room soon afterward. He  _almost_  told his father about the incident with Roman Prince and friends in Knockturn Alley, but decided against it. His father did not need to hear the foul insults toward his character made by traitors and those of inferior blood status.   
  
Besides, why tell his father things that may potential upset him after telling him so much that  _pleased_  him? Yes, he was confident that he made the right choice in keeping this particular tidbit of information away from his father.

In the meantime, he supposed that he could commence the 'studying' that Linus thought he was doing prior to his admission that he travelled to Knockturn Alley instead. He did have a book that would work well for the task, after all - and it was a book that he wanted to check out  _anyway_. It was just an added bonus that the contents within the book could hopefully be used to supplement the Dark Arts lessons that James Prince was providing him with at the behest of their parents. He pulled out the book on curses and set the tarot cards and horcrux book to the side. He could look at those later.  
  
Perusing the table of contents, Virgil already spotted a few spells that he planned to ask James about during their next session. He did not plan on going through the entire book in one night, but he had a feeling that he'd be reading long into the night with this book...


	28. Chapter 28

Virgil made a purposeful slashing motion with his wand, a pleased grin making its way onto his features as he observed the purple flame that departed from the other end of his wand and struck the opposite wall.  
  
James waved his wand at once.  _"I believe you're getting close to mastering this curse, Virgil. Bravo,"_  he announced.  
  
Virgil responded with a slight roll of his eyes. "I would  _hope_  so. We've been working on it for the past two lessons. It'd be better if I could test it on someone, though."  
  
James shrugged.  _"I would suggest we test it out on Mopsy, but I'm not certain that she'd be able to withstand the effects of this spell. It's really made for a full grown witch or wizard, and depending on the condition of the target as well as the magical ability of the caster, this spell has been known to kill them as well."  
_  
"...where does this stop us from testing the spell on Mopsy?" Virgil asked with an arched eyebrow, twirling his wand in his hand. This was all much easier said than done, of course - it was a lot easier to discuss using the spell on Mopsy than it was to actually picture doing so. In fact, when Virgil tried to do just that, he hastily found himself trying to focus on something else.  
  
James let out a snort.  _"I suppose you and your father could easily get a new house elf, but I'd rather we not slaughter the one you have unless we have expression permission from your father to do so."_  
  
"So if my father gives us permission we could possibly test on Mopsy during our next lesson? I'll get right on asking him about that," Virgil said with a snort.  
  
 _"That's one way to brighten up a lesson,"_  James laughed.  
  
They were practicing a spell that was capable of causing grievous internal injury toward a target without leaving a mark. Virgil was informed that in some cases it was actually capable of killing its target, though in most cases it merely incapacitated them. Oh, if only he'd  _known_  about this spell in the alley...perhaps he could have given that one a try instead.  
  
Virgil and James were alone in the house. Linus, Edward, and Victoria departed on a mission for the Council. As much as Virgil wanted to ask to  _join_  them, he recognized that he did not have quite the level of expertise with the Dark Arts as his father and the Princes did, and understood why he was left behind. James could probably handle himself, but  _someone_  had to stay behind and teach Virgil as many spells as he could muster.  
  
Virgil could take solace in the fact that at least James seemed pleased with his progress thus far. The Council was pleased with his progress as well, something that brightened Virgil's spirits considerably. To know that the Council approved of his work thus far - it helped to alleviate some of the lingering doubts that Virgil had regarding his ability.

"What's next on the agenda?" Virgil asked James.  
  
 _"I actually hadn't planned anything after this, I figured we'd be spending a bit more time on this spell."_  James stroked his chin.  _"Oh, I have an idea...it's not exactly a Dark Arts lesson but it's actually something I've been meaning to ask you about?"_  
  
Virgil tilted his head slightly as he glanced closer at James, as if these two actions would help him to further elucidate what James was trying to say.  
  
 _"Mother has told me that your father purchased you a Seeing Eye from Borgin's and Burkes. I've been considering purchasing one myself. I was wondering if I might be able to look at yours?"_  
  
Virgil's eyes widened. Someone wanted to see his...well,  _Seeing_  Eye? He dashed up the stairs, eager for the opportunity to show off the dark item. Thus far the only other person who had seen it in action was Linus, and Linus already  _knew_  about it. This...this felt like he had an opportunity to impress someone both cooler and older than him. He just hoped that he wouldn't screw it up.  
  
He and James headed up the stairs as Virgil went to retrieve the Eye in question. He carried the Eye back out of his room and he and James headed back down the stairs. Virgil set the eye down on a table, James peering at it with interest.  
  
 _"Fascinating. How is it supposed to work?"_  James continued to eye the item.  
  
"It generally tends to lock on a person and follow them around. It can be a little creepy, Mopsy freaked out when she first came across it. It was hilarious," Virgil chuckled.  
  
James chuckled as well. His smile abruptly faded when he looked at the eye once more.  
  
 _"You said that it was supposed to lock on a person - or elf - and follow them around, correct?"_  
  
Virgil nodded. "That's generally how it works."  
  
 _"Then why is it not gazing at either you or I?"_    
  
Virgil immediately felt as if someone dipped his veins in ice.   
  
 _"Could someone else be here with us?"_  James wondered out loud.  
  
Virgil shook his head and took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself. "There shouldn't be. Only those who know where the building is located ahead of time should be capable of seeing it."  
  
James let out a sigh of relief.  _"That makes..."_  His eyes went wide as he narrowly managed to dodge a jet of light.  
  
A spell.  
  
 _"An adept safeguard, in theory, but there is one integral oversight your father made in setting up his current home security system,"_  a familiar voice announced.  
  
Virgil and James both turned in the direction of the voice.  
  
The owner of the voice smiled. Virgil's stomach rolled.  _The Ravenclaw from Knockturn Alley._  How had they...there was no  _way_  that they could know where to look for his father's home!  
  
And he was joined by two other familiar faces. One was the Mudblood that he'd used the Cruciatus Curse on - fully recovered from what Virgil inflicted on him. The other?  
  
 _"Turns out that when you trail someone who knows where they're going, it's surprisingly easy for you to_  also  _stumble upon their destination. Hello brother. It has been far too long,"_  Roman Prince announced. Virgil's eyes widened. Of course. Roman didn't know where Linus and Virgil were staying, but he  _did_  know where his own family lived. By trailing Victoria, Edward, and/or James, they were able to bypass the enchantment.  
  
 _"Oh, you don't know how long I've been waiting to do this, James..."_ Roman extended his wand toward James, just as James did the same. They both spoke their incantations at the same time, jets of light shooting out of the ends of their wands toward the other...


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to save this for tomorrow but...ah, I just couldn't wait. XD Hope you guys enjoy! =)

The two spells struck one another in mid-air, ricocheting off to the side.  
  
Nary a moment passed before Roman and James were volleying spells back and forth. Virgil retrieved his wand from his robes at once, intending to join the fray.  
  
_"If I may, I would like to continue with our conversation from Knocturn Alley,"_  Logan interrupted. James and Roman were already too deep into their duel to notice, but Virgil turned to face Logan at once.  
  
Virgil sneered, his wand still raised, though this time in the direction of a new target. James seemed to be managing just fine with his brother. He'd handle the other two. One was a Mudblood - How bad could it be? "I don't think there's anything to discuss...Logan, was it? You can't play the same card that you did back in Knockturn Alley, after all."  
  
_"Card?"_  Logan raised an eyebrow in response.  
  
"Attempting to get my guards down. Feeding me outright lies about my father," Virgil frowned. "You should consider yourselves lucky that I didn't tell him what you said about him. Let's just say that it would make what I'm about to do to you pale in comparison. My father does not like when people spread outright lies about him."  
  
_"But they're not lies..."_  Patton protested.  
  
"You poor pathetic Mudblood. I might have gone easy on you had you kept your filthy mouth shut, but it looks like I'm going to have to force it closed myself," Virgil smirked and lifted his wand.  
  
_"Expelliarmus!"_  Logan cried.  
  
"Protego!" Virgil responded, easily deflecting the spell with a shield charm. He chuckled. "Good thing your friend is here to defend you. Where would you be without him?" Virgil directed the latter toward Patton.  
  
_"Virgil, please, we don't want to fight you, if you'd just listen..."_  Patton pleaded.  
  
Virgil chortled at this. "The feeling is not mutual."  
  
_"Fine,"_  Logan said before clearing his throat.  _"If it is a duel that you want, it is a duel that you shall receive."_  Logan immediately stepped into a dueling pose.

 _"But...that's Virgil, Logan, we can't hurt Virgil..."_  Patton urged Logan.  
  
The Mudblood really wasn't letting the act drop, was he? Virgil supposed that this was because he was backed into a corner and had nowhere else to go. He found himself snickering to himself at the thought. Oh, how amused his father would be when he found out!  
  
How  _proud_ , when Virgil brought his father and the Council a Mudblood. He would certainly advance within the ranks then.  
  
_"Tarantellegra!"_  Logan shouted, and Virgil was barely able to dodge

"Expulso!" Virgil roared.  
  
_"Protego Horriblis!"_  Logan called out in response, casting a powerful shield charm around himself that resulted in Virgil's Expulso Curse ricocheting harmlessly away from Logan and toward a wall instead.  
  
He chanced a quick glance toward James and Roman just in time to see James make a slashing motion with his wand. Roman let out a yell as his right leg crumpled beneath him and he plummeted to the floor.  
  
_"No, Roman!"_  the Mudblood screamed. Virgil rolled his eyes and tried to resume his duel with Logan. Logan was proving to be a challenging opponent, more than Virgil expected. The Ravenclaw was keeping his hands full, but at least James was managing quite well on his own.  
  
_"Petrificus Totalus!"_  Both Virgil and Logan turned in surprise at the sound of Patton's voice, their attention turning to the other fight in the room. James deflected Patton's curse, but stared at the Mudblood in abject surprise. Like Virgil, he hadn't expected Patton to join the fight, but rather remain a nonentity.   
  
James was standing over Roman. He'd clearly been planning to end the fight, but now there was an additional obstacle in the way. Virgil scowled. He needed to finish off Logan so that he might help James to finish off the Mudblood and Princey...  
  
_"Diffindo!"_  Logan called, and Virgil rushed to cast a Shield Charm. He was too late, wincing in pain as the spell cut into his left leg. He stumbled forward, though managed to stay on his feet. He ground his teeth together. It was painful, but he could manage.   
  
"Lacarnum Inflamarae!" Virgil snarled, the corners of his lips turning upward. Logan narrowed his eyes, once more narrowly deflecting the spell in question.  
  
"Are we going to take this seriously or are you going to keep toying with me? I'd really like to get this fight over with before my father returns home," Virgil called out to Logan in an almost bored tone.  
  
_"I was wondering the same myself. You've been so kind with me, no Unforgivables or anything. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're struggling with yourself,"_  Logan observed.  
  
Virgil's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, then narrowed as a chuckle escaped his lips. "You're asking for it now. Cruc-"  
  
_"NO! NOT ROMAN!"_  a loud scream ripped Virgil's concentration away from Logan and back toward the other battle. There was a flash of purple light and Virgil watched as Patton crumpled onto the ground.  
  
Roman screamed as James grinned in triumph.  _"Well, dear brother, I would not fret too much. You'll be joining your so-called 'love' soon enough."_    
  
_"A lovely display on their part,"_  Logan murmured.  
  
Virgil turned to Logan with an arched brow. "Excuse me?"  
  
_"Their love. Their willingness to sacrifice themselves for one another. It's...I've never been the most skilled at romantic gestures. Their romance is like something out of a storybook, mine is...mine is not so simple,"_  a wistful look came over Logan's features as he said this.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. "In the short time I've known you, I never would have pictured you to be a romantic."  
  
Logan gave a light shrug.  _"Perhaps not. That does not, however, mean that I am not wiling to do whatever it takes to retrieve the one I love most from the clutches of darkness. I apologize for this, Virgil."_  
  
Virgil nearly dropped his wand in surprise. Apologize? Apologize for  _what_? Virgil raised his wand to cast his next curse at the same time Logan lifted his own wand.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
_"Imperio!"_  
  
And just as the light burst forth from their wands, it was joined by a blinding light from the opposite side of the room...  
  
\--------------------------------------------  
  
_"Virgil, my boy, we're home!"_  Linus called out.  
  
There was silence.  
  
Linus frowned.  _"Virgil?"_  
  
Victoria and Edward looked at each other in concern.  _"Could they have potentially left? Traveled to Knockturn Alley once again?"_  Victoria suggested.  
  
"I'm right here, father," Virgil's voice called out from across the room. He strode forward, stumbling a little on his right leg from the injury he'd obtained in his fight earlier.  
  
_"We worried that you might have slipped out of the house again! What's...Virgil, what do you have there?"_  Linus frowned as he looked closer at his son. Not only did he look injured, but he looked as if he were dragging something behind him.  _"You look as though you've been dueling. Did you and James practice a little hand-to-hand combat?"_  
  
The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward. "You could put it that way. It was unplanned on James' part, though. See, we had a few intruders. Don't worry. Though they posed more of a challenge than James and I were expecting, we made quick work of them."  
  
With that, Virgil pulled the figure he'd been dragging behind him in front of him, for his father and The Princes to see.  
  
_"That's...the Mudblood!"_  Victoria said with a gasp.  
  
_"The Mudblood that our disappointment of a youngest son took a fancy to..."_  Edward frowned.  
  
"Yes, well, I figured I should come to you to find the best way to dispose of him," Virgil looked to the three older magic-users.   
  
Linus beamed in delight.  _"My boy, you have done wonderfully. You have truly earned your place on our family tree. A true Thompson through and through! Come, we must have a feast to celebrate!"_  
  
And Virgil's heart swelled with pride, as he knew what he was doing to be right.


	30. Chapter 30

There was a flurry of activity. So much was happening.  
  
_Too much had happened, was happening, ohMerlinwhatwashappening..._  
  
Virgil felt a hand brush at his bangs. Still struggling to make sense of it all, Virgil reacted on instinct to the unexpected sensation.  
  
There was a loud yelp.  
  
_"Ow, he bit me!"_  a familiar voice cried out.  
  
_"He's still out of it..."_  responded a different voice - though he recognized the second voice as well.  
  
_"I don't care how out of it he is! He hissed at me and then he_  bit  _me! You patch him up, I need to put a bandage on my wound. You know, where he BIT ME,"_  the first voice huffed.  
  
The owner of the second voice chuckled.  _"Virgil, if you're aware enough to know what's going on, don't pay any attention to her. She just wasn't expecting that."_  
  
_"HE BIT ME!"_  the owner of the first voice reiterated.  
  
Virgil slowly cracked his eyes open. He saw a young woman with short hair holding her hand with an annoyed look on her face. Virgil blinked a few times, trying to get his vision to focus. The young woman was familiar, but he was having trouble placing her.

Another young woman's face came into focus, the remnants of laughter etched on her features.  _"Welcome back, Virgil,"_  she told him.  
  
The other young woman, the one that he'd apparently  _bitten_ , eyed him warily.  _"How do we know that we can trust him? We don't even know if Logan's plan worked..."_  
  
"Er...Era?" Virgil muttered, managing to find his voice at last.  
  
_"Well that's certainly a good sign. He recognized me,"_  Era said with a satisfied smirk.   
  
The other young woman folded her arms across her chest.  _"Yeah, but does he recognize me?"_  she asked with an arched eyebrow.  
  
The hairstyle was different, but Virgil recognized both the mannerisms and the banter with Era. "Chelsea?"  
  
_"Huh, he does. Well whaddaya know, Logan's crazy plan worked,"_  the corners of Chelsea's mouth twitched upward as she caught Virgil looking at her.  _"Welcome back, Virgil. I'd prefer you greet me with a 'hello' next time though."_  
  
_"He didn't even break your skin,"_  Era retorted.  
  
_"It still hurt!"_  Chelsea shot back.  
  
Virgil slowly pushed himself to a seated position. He understood that he was with Era and Chelsea, but he wasn't sure  _how_  it happened. The last thing he knew...  
  
He was dueling Logan. Virgil's eyes blew wide open. His heart began to race as his gaze shot frantically around the room. Where was Logan? Where were James, Roman, and Patton? What happened? Were they okay? Had he hurt them? Had he...had he...  
  
Virgil didn't know when he'd closed his eyes, but he re-opened them once he felt a pair of arms encircle him. His head rested against someone's chest as a hand caressed Virgil's back in a soothing motion.  
  
_"Breathe in for four seconds..."_  a deep, calming voice told him. Virgil did as the voice instructed.   
  
_"Hold your breath for seven seconds..."_ Virgil extended his best efforts toward following these instructions, as difficult as they felt at this point in time.  
__  
_ "Breathe out for eight seconds," _the voice continued.  
  
It wasn't an instant fix. Virgil went through many cycles - enough for him to lose count, though he paid less attention to that count and more attention to counting the seconds between each exercise, as the voice instructed - before it truly made a marked difference in Virgil's condition.  
  
The first thing he noticed once the panic began to abate was the fact that he'd been shaking almost uncontrollably, and that mild trembles still coursed through his figure.  
  
The second thing that Virgil noticed once the panic began to abate was that he knew the voice that brought him back from the edge. He continued to lay his head across their chest, feeling safe for the first time in what felt like weeks. Possibly even months.  
  
How much time even passed? _ _  
  
__"Logan," Virgil said in a tremulous voice that was scarcely higher than a whisper. "You saved me." _ _  
  
_"__ I...could not stand idly by while..." _Logan's voice was oddly quiet as well. Though both were vaguely aware of Era and Chelsea's presence in the room, this conversation was between the two of them and the two of them alone.  
  
And Era and Chelsea, to their credit, respected that.  
  
_"How much do you recall of what happened, Virgil?"_ Logan said, a bit louder this time.   
  
Virgil closed his eyes and ground his teeth together. He recalled every false memory that Linus placed into his head. He recalled his sickening desire to please his father, a desire borne out of lies. It was all a lie. He knew that because he remembered everything else as well. He remembered that Patton was his best friend, not the pathetic Mudblood friend of Roman Prince. Roman Prince, too, was a friend. And Logan...Logan meant the world to him.   
  
He recalled their battle in Knockturn Alley. He recalled his disgust with Patton touching him. He recalled his desire to teach Roman a lesson, to impress upon him how much of a disappointment he was to his parents. He recalled torturing Patton. He recalled his duel with Logan. He recalled how, even with all of the lies that marred his mind, he couldn't give his all against Logan.  
  
Because Linus and the Council did not have all of Virgil. They never would.  
  
Logan did it. Logan knew how to get past the lies. Even if he had to hurt Virgil to do it, he knew that Virgil would never willingly continue the existence that Linus Thompson forced upon him if he had a choice in the matter. No matter how painful it might be, he knew that the pain would be worth it to Virgil.  
  
Logan carried Virgil back from the darkness and into the light.  
  
And Virgil didn't think that he could ever in a million years repay him. "Everything," Virgil said at last. "I remember everything."  
  
Logan flinched. Virgil felt it. He put his arms around Logan and squeezed as tightly as he could, as if he were afraid that he would be dragged away again the moment he let go.   
  
"Thank you...thank you so much. I...would be lost without you."

\------------------------------------  
  
Virgil sat besides his father as Victoria and Edward sat on the other side of the table. One chair, however, remained empty.  
  
_"Where is James?"_  Edward wondered with a frown as he peered at said chair.  
  
"He said he wanted to get washed up after the fight. He wanted to look his best for when you returned," Virgil responded.  
  
_"Ah yes, James always did place a high importance on his appearance,"_  Victoria chuckled.  
  
_"We'll have to do something extra special with this Mudblood,"_  Edward remarked, staring at the unconscious body that lay on the floor of the next room over as if it were a bag of garbage to be taken out. Virgil followed Edward's gaze and frowned.   
  
Linus' next remark drew Virgil's attention away from the scene and back toward the table.  _"Eat up, Virgil. We will decide precisely what to do with the Mudblood after we've had a hearty meal,"_  Linus chuckled and gave Virgil a clap on the back before cutting into the meat on his plate. Victoria and Edward set into their meals as well.  
  
"Of course, father," Virgil responded quietly as he reached for his fork. But out of habit, his gaze flicked not to Linus, but to _Edward_.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being like twice as long as one of my usual chapters and I considered cutting it in half but...I couldn't really think of a good place to do so, so you guys get an extra long chapter today. Warning for brief mention of unintentional self-harm in here, as well as character death.

Though Virgil would not protest to staying in Logan's embrace for the next several hours, he knew that he had to pull away eventually. Not because he  _wanted_  to, but because there were other matters to take into consideration.  
  
"What happened?" Virgil frowned, first looking to Logan and then to Era and Chelsea. He wasn't even aware that Chelsea and Era were on the scene until he woke up away from all of the action and with all of his proper memories back intact.  
  
_"We were acting as lookouts,"_  Chelsea explained.  
  
_"But we saw that Patton was incapacitated and that Roman was in trouble so we stepped in,"_  Era continued.  
  
"What about Logan and I? We were dueling too," Virgil questioned.  
  
_"We joined the fight just as Logan cast the Imperius Curse. You...weren't exactly in fighting condition once it hit,"_  Era explained.   
  
_"Not the sort of fight that one carries out with wands at least,"_  Chelsea clarified.  _"You did try to land a few punches on thin air and briefly tried to claw your own skin off, but Logan was able to calm you well enough that you did no further harm to yourself or others...at least until you_  bit  _me."_  
  
Virgil rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that."  
  
Chelsea waved her hand.  _"No hard feelings. You just provided me with some good blackmail material."_  
  
_"Chelsea!"_  Era admonished.  
  
_"I was teasing! I'm not actually going to blackmail him, sheesh,"_  Chelsea replied, but the slight grin on her face as she said it indicated that there were, indeed, no hard feelings.  
  
"Where are we?" was Virgil's next question.  
  
_"We're in your father's house,"_  Logan explained.  
  
"What?!" The color drained from Virgil's face as his entire body tensed up. He thought they were free, that he was safe, but he was still in Linus's home?  
  
_"We have taken refuge in a side room. You need not worry about our detection - I have cast a charm that will ensure that we are not overheard by your father or any other threat that may come searching for us,"_  Logan said in an attempt to assuage him.  
  
Some of the tension did leave his muscles, but he remained on edge. "How did...you cast the Imperius Curse and it  _worked_. How did you know it would work?"  
  
_"I didn't,"_  Logan admitted. Virgil was taken aback by this. It was not often, after all, that Logan Dicax admitted to not knowing something.  
  
"You didn't? Then what made you..." Virgil started to ask.  
  
_"I had a theory, and I recognized that I may not have another opportunity to test it. Not that I wished to use you as my first test subject, but...well, desperate times call for desperate measures. You say you recall everything...I take that to mean that you recall our conversation in Knockturn Alley as well?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
Virgil nodded. It wasn't a pleasant memory but he certainly  _remembered_. "You were asking me about any strange feelings or thoughts that didn't seem to match with my experiences. Or what I thought my experiences were at that time."  
  
_"Which was something you'd experienced by that point. I could tell by your reaction,"_  Logan observed.  
  
Virgil offered his affirmation once more. "I did. I...had a prophecy, and the way Linus reacted...it didn't match with the false memories he gave me. He painted himself as this idyllic figure, but then forgot to live up to the image that he crafted for himself. That's when I started to question him, but it wasn't enough to shake his hold over me."  
  
Logan shook his head.  _"I would not imagine that it would be. You lacked the information to draw a proper conclusion. Our conversation in Knockturn Alley may have done little to assist you, but I utilized what I observed to formulate a new plan of action. See, the questions I asked you...I initially hoped to draw out some of your true memories, though I recognize now that to expect such a thing at that point in time would have been foolishly optimistic. I did, however, succeed in one endeavor."_  
  
"What was that?"  
  
_"I determined that your actual memories - the truth - still existed somewhere within your mind. My original intent was to carry out another conversation like the one in Knockturn Alley, but you remained steadfast against this proposal."_  
  
Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair at that recollection. "I thought you were trying to trick me."  
  
Logan chuckled.  _"A logical assumption with what limited information you had to work with. I can hardly hold that against you. We dueled, much to my unhappiness, and though you fought valiantly I did note that you, like I, were unable to 'give it your all' as some might put it. That being said, the stakes grew higher. James looked about to win his battle against Roman and Patton. I knew you would be pressured to act. I knew that I had to act before that happened. I long suspected the Imperius Curse might generate the effects I was looking for, but I only wanted to cast if it I had no other options."_  
  
"But you  _did_  have no other options," Virgil interjected.  
  
Logan nodded.  _"I had no other options. I theorized, after our encounter in Knockturn Alley, that a great shock to your mind may hold the key, if nothing else did. As real as the false memories seemed to you at that point in time, they were nothing more than an enchantment. If I could disrupt that enchantment with a powerful spell of my own, one that I_  knew  _from past experiences to generate a very strong mental reaction in you...it may be enough to break through the enchantment."_  
  
_"This is all very cute and romantic and all, but I still have a question,"_  Chelsea blurted out, drawing Virgil and Logan's attention away from each other and reminding the two of them that there was another couple present in the room.  
  
_"Yes?"_  Logan glanced at Chelsea expectantly.  
  
_"How were the memories there in the first place?"_  Chelsea asked.  
  
"Linus must have only cast the enchantment to insert the false memories. He probably didn't think that he would  _need_  to actually modify the real ones, not if I had no reason to question the ones that he gave me. And I didn't question them, not for the longest time. I had no reason to..." Virgil felt his hands clench into fists.  
  
_"Honestly, Virgil...I feel that you are selling both you and your father short here,"_  Logan murmured.  
  
_"His father? I mean I certainly wouldn't want Virgil to sell himself short, but who cares if he's selling his father short? His father's an asshole,"_  Era folded her arms across her chest.  
  
Despite the dour mood, Virgil could not help but find that his spirits rose a little upon hearing someone so emphatically refer to his father as an asshole.  
  
_"He is,"_  Logan agreed.  _"Which is why it is incredibly dangerous to sell him short. I am not defending his actions by any means, far from it. I simply feel that his abilities should not be underestimated. He is incredibly dangerous, and I believe that he enchanted Virgil with the full intent to completely alter his memories. In fact, I would hazard to guess that Linus is still operating under the belief that he has completely succeeded in molding Virgil into the son that he always wanted him to be."_  
  
A shudder went through Virgil. The son that Linus always wanted him to be. The son that he believed he truly was for the past several weeks of his life. Several weeks that he could  _not_  get back. Virgil's left hand crept up into his hair, where he began to tug.  
  
_"Stay with us, Virgil. You are safe now,"_  Logan assured him, and after a few deep breaths Virgil was able to let his hand fall back to his side. The same hand still tapped against his leg, but this was a much less harmful activity than pulling on one's hair and the other's were much more content to let Virgil play out his nerves that way.  
  
_"What went wrong, then?"_  Era asked at last, voicing the very same question that Virgil wanted to ask but could not quite bring himself to.  
  
_"Virgil did. Virgil protected himself against his father's intrusions,"_  Logan explained.  
  
"...elaborate. Last I checked, I wasn't even aware of what my father was  _doing_ ," Virgil mumbled.  
  
Logan let out a sigh.  _"Not consciously, no, but subconsciously I believe that you recognized what your father was doing and protected yourself accordingly."_  
  
"How?" Virgil blinked. "How could I..."  
  
_"Occlumency,"_  Logan remarked.  
  
_"...what?"_  Chelsea asked, looking as skeptical as Virgil felt.  
  
"I only took a few classes, and besides, Occlumency is only to prevent people from using Legilimancy to read your mind, isn't it?" Virgil protested.  
  
_"For the most part, yes,"_  Logan agreed.  _"But an accomplished Occlumens can effectively suppress their thoughts, emotions, and memories deep within their mind in an attempt to protect themselves from intrusion. Linus may not be an Legilimens, but he was intruding into your mind."_  
  
Virgil let out a snort. "But I'm not an accomplished Occlumens. Like I said, I only attended a few classes before..." he gestured around, "...all of  _this_  happened."  
  
_"Those few classes afforded you the building blocks to allow you to do something that you are naturally adept at, and wished to do in order to protect yourself from harm,"_  Logan informed him.  
  
"...so what, you're saying I'm a natural Occlumens? I don't think so," Virgil scoffed.  
  
_"No, I don't believe that you are a natural Occlumens, not in the most literal sense. You do, however, have an extreme reaction to the Imperius Curse,"_  Logan continued.  
  
"...what does  _that_  have to do with anything?" Virgil gaped, trying to make sense of what Logan was saying.  
  
_"Simple,"_  Logan smiled.  _"It should not surprise you at all to learn that I have done a considerable amount of reading on the subject, and one revelation that I have stumbled upon multiple times in my reading is that a certain propensity toward Occlumency in a person is often accompanied by resistance to the Imperius Curse."_  
  
Virgil's eyes widened. A quick glance toward Era and Chelsea told Virgil that they, too, understood Logan's conclusion at last.  
  
_"The thought of an outside influence, such as an enchantment, pressing itself upon your mind bothers you considerably...and thus you are unusually adept at warding off those influences,"_ Logan revealed.  
  
"So because I'm so afraid of such influences that it's literally induced some of the worst panic attacks of my life...I'm actually in a better position to fight them?" Virgil gaped.  
  
_"Essentially, yes,"_  Logan murmured.   
  
"...'bout time I got  _something_  good out of this whole arrangement," Virgil remarked with a snort. "Would've been a lot nicer if I hadn't had to wait eighteen years for it, though."

The temporary reprieve that Virgil felt, though, was soon replaced by horror. Logan, Chelsea, and Era were safe, and that was great. But...  
  
"Guys, where are Roman and Patton?"  
  
\----------------------------------------------  
  
_"It's time to take care of that Mudblood once and for all,"_  Linus announced once dinner was finished.   
  
_"Once and for all? I thought we were going to discuss the matter first..."_  'Virgil' said quietly.  
  
_"We can discuss the matter...after we've killed the Mudblood,"_  Victoria remarked casually...much too casually.  
  
_"Shall we be kind, or shall we awake the Mudblood so that he can have a real experience for his final moments?"_  Edward snickered.  
  
_"I think we should give him the full experience. He did enter this home, after all, the least we can do is show him some hospitality,"_  Linus smiled.  
  
_"I...I d-"_  'Virgil' tried to protest, but Linus already stood over Patton with a leering expression.  
  
_"Rennervate!"_  Linus announced, and Patton's eyes slowly flickered open. His brow furrowed in confusion as he slowly took in the sight surrounding him.  
  
_"Wha...?"_  Patton blinked, clearly and failing to make sense of what was happening.  
  
_"You entered my home without invitation, Mudblood. Now it is time to pay the consequences,"_ Linus sneered.  
  
_"Wait...p-please, I don't understand, I-I..."_  Patton pleaded.  
  
_"Ugh, would someone shut him up already? I don't want to listen to his pathetic groveling,"_ Victoria sniffed.  
  
_"Petrificus Totalus!"_  Linus announced, and Patton immediately fell still and silent. But his eyes...his eyes were still open, and wide with horror.  
  
'Virgil' could hardly stand to look.  
  
_"Avada Kedavra!"_  Edward shouted, face alight as the green flash erupted from the end of his wand and struck Patton square in the chest. As the green light faded, so too did the light in Patton's eyes.  
  
_"Come, Virgil, we must discuss what we will do next,"_  Linus motioned for his so-called son to follow the others into the next room. 'Virgil' silently followed, grinding his teeth together.  
  
It was all Roman could do to keep himself from completely falling apart.


	32. Chapter 32

"He did  _what_  now?" Virgil howled.  
  
_"Logan's been brewing a batch of Polyjuice Potion since you and Astrit went missing,"_  Chelsea explained.  _"He insisted that it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Obviously he was right. We brought some with us in case we needed it. Roman took some of your hair and added it to a small flask then took a few swigs. The resemblance was uncanny."_  
  
"And why did you let that happen?" Virgil stared. "Why didn't you stop him?"  
  
_"Why would we stop him?"_  Logan frowned.  _"He was adamant that this was something he wished to do, and its buying us time to regroup."_  
  
"So what if he was adamant? It's dangerous! He's putting himself in extreme danger!" Virgil was near yelling at this point. Honestly, did that idiot...  
  
_"You really don't think he knew what he was getting himself into?"_  Era interrupted.  _"He's probably the only person other than yourself with extensive knowledge about these people. He was raised by two of them, after all. He knew what he was getting himself into, and he took the risk because he hoped that it would pay off in the end."_  
  
_"And it already has. Roman's plan has enabled us to whisk you away to safety and allow you an opportunity to recover,"_  Logan further explained.

"But he could  _die_!" Virgil protested. His hands were balled into fists, and his fingernails were digging so hard into his palms that it  _hurt_. He narrowed his eyes at Era and Chelsea, even  _Logan_. Why hadn't they done more to stop it? "He could  _die_  and you...just let him..."  
  
All at once, the fight seemed to disappear from Virgil as a sob tore its way from his mouth. He held his hand to his mouth, but this did nothing to stop the torrent of tears. The dam was broken beyond repair at this point. Era, Chelsea, and Logan exchanged looks. Logan slowly crept forward, placing his hand on Virgil's shoulder, but Virgil immediately shook it away.  
  
"No. NO!" Virgil screamed, Logan immediately retrieving his hand and flinching backward slightly, as if preparing himself for whatever storm Virgil was going to throw his way.  
  
Instead, Virgil curled in on himself. "He could die because of  _me_."  
  
A brief silence ensued before Chelsea cleared her throat.  _"I thought it was our fault that we didn't stop him?"_  
  
"He wouldn't have felt that he had to do it in the first place if you guys hadn't had to rescue me," Virgil snarled, but this time the malice was not directed outward, but  _inward_ , toward what he saw as the  _rightful_  target of his wrath. "If I hadn't been an idiot and let them capture me and...and..."  
  
_"How DARE you talk about my brother that way!"_  Era roared.  
  
The other three turned to Era in surprise.  
  
_"He's...not?"_  Logan half-stated, half-asked as he met Era's fiery gaze with a puzzled expression.  
  
_"Like hell he's not,"_  Era glared in Virgil's direction with such intensity that Virgil could not help but shrink in on himself.  
  
And though he was just as confused as the others, he couldn't help but feel that he deserved Era's anger - even if he didn't  _quite_  understand where it was coming from. He hadn't mentioned her brother at all?  
  
_"He didn't mention your brother, Era,"_  Chelsea reached out to try to comfort her girlfriend despite her confusion, but Era wasn't having any of it. She strode forward, moving in closer to Virgil.  
  
_"Don't you dare try to hide from me! Say what you said about my brother again, to my face!"_    
  
"I...I didn't..." he had nothing to say against Astrit, after all.  
  
_"Only idiots allow themselves to be captured, right?"_  Era growled.  _"You're implying that my brother is an idiot!"_  
  
Virgil's eyes blew wide. "What? No! Your brother was tricked, he had no idea what he was getting himself into! Your brother isn't an idiot, he's a victim!"  
  
Era narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer.  _"And you would never call my brother an idiot, right, or blame him for what happened?"_  
  
Virgil shook his head at once. The thought of even doing such a thing to Astrit, who never in a million years deserved what happened to him, what was  _still_  happening to him... "Never."  
  
Era finally pulled away from Virgil and let out a sigh, folding her arms across her chest.  _"If you would never say those things about my brother, why are you saying them about yourself?"_  
  
"Because..." Virgil thought it would be easy to answer Era's question, but the more he thought about it? The more he realized that all of the insults he was aiming toward himself could feasibly be twisted around toward Astrit as well - and Astrit did not deserve that, for all that he'd been through and continued to go through.  
  
Logan let out a sigh of his own, directing Virgil's attention away from the confrontation with Era and toward the Ravenclaw instead.  _"As for why we were unable to stop Roman? Simple. He is his own person."_  
  
_"Believe me, we tried. We were trying to brainstorm other ideas that didn't involve doing something so..."_  Chelsea trailed off, making a motion with her hands as if it would help her to find the word that she was looking for.  
  
_"Brash?"_  Era finished for her.  
  
_"Yeah, that sounds about right,"_  Chelsea agreed.  
  
_"He wasn't having it,"_  Logan explained.  _"He even threatened to hex us if any of us stood in his way."_  
  
"That...does sound like Roman," Virgil admitted.  
  
_"We didn't even realize what he planned to do until after he took the potion,"_  Era confessed.  
  
_"There was a lot going on at the time, and we were kinda preoccupied with your freakout,"_ Chelsea added.  
  
"So one minute you guys were helping me, and the next there was  _another me_  standing nearby?" Despite the gravity of the situation, Virgil could not help the snort at the mental picture that ensued.

A groan suddenly sounded from the other side of the room, causing Virgil to startle. Logan instinctively reached out to take Virgil's hand into his, giving it a light caress.  
  
_"Look who's joining the land of the living now,"_  Chelsea teased.  
  
_"Patton? Are you still doing alright?"_  Era called out.  
  
Virgil looked Patton over a couple of times, trying to gauge whether he had any serious lasting injuries. Once he determined this not to be the case, he smiled so wide that his eyes were practically shining.   
  
_"Yeah, that nap did me a world of good. Thanks for patching me up earlier, Era,"_  Patton smiled.  
  
Era waved her hand.  _"It was no big deal. Someone had to do it, and considering our best healer was still recuperating from his own injuries..."_  she said with a wink.  
  
_"Awww, you really think I'm our best healer?"_  Patton was beaming.  
  
_"Uh, duh? I haven't even known you as long as she has and I can tell that,"_  Chelsea chimed in.  
  
"Patton..." Virgil breathed, his voice barely higher than a whisper.  
  
Patton cast a glance in his direction.  _"Virgil! Glad to see you're doing a lot better now!"_  
  
"You're  _okay_. You're okay!" Virgil was almost giddy in his relief. After witnessing what happened earlier, he hadn't been certain. But now Patton sat mere feet away from him, totally fine other than a few injuries he was recuperating from...  
  
_"Of course I am!"_  Patton let loose a few chuckles.  _"Why wouldn't I be?"_

 _\-----------------------------------------  
  
"You did a wonderful job bringing the Mudblood to us, Virgil," _Linus approached the young man he thought was his son, placing his hand on Roman's shoulder. It took everything in Roman's power to stop himself from flinching away, from giving himself away. _  
  
"Too bad that James wasn't around to see it. Where is he anyway? I would have expected him to be down here by now," _Edward frowned. _  
  
"Yes, it's too bad that he missed out on all of the fun! He would have enjoyed it immensely!" _Victoria agreed with a slight chortle.  
  
_"Yeah..."_  Roman murmured, casting a glance at the prone form on the ground. A few tears escaped, but he hastily wiped them away before he went to join his parents and Linus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So someone of you already figured it out but yeah, here's your confirmation of your suspicions. XD


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to check it out and join, I do have a discord for my writing. I don't plan on leaving the link up for super long; I"ll probably take it down tonight, but if you wanna check it out - https://discord.gg/ZmTyXs

Now that Virgil and Patton were conscious and as recovered as they could be given the circumstances, the group began to formulate a plan as to how they would get Roman back.  
  
That was not the only matter that they had to address, however.  
  
_"Virgil...you know the most about the goings on of this dark society that your father and Roman's parents supposedly belong to-"_  Logan began.  
  
"The Council," Virgil informed them. "They call themselves the Council. I, uh...I attended a meeting."  
  
_"The Council?"_  Chelsea guffawed.  _"I bet that took a long time to come up with. I would have figured they would have gone with something like 'The Underground Brotherhood of Pureblood Assholes'."_  
  
_"They were probably trying to go with something a little less conspicious than that,"_  Era reasoned, though not without a grin.

Logan cleared his throat.  _"It is of little consequence what they refer to themselves as at this point in time...though I must note that 'Underground Brotherhood of Pureblood Assholes' offers a much more accurate outlook of what the group is and what it stands for than 'The Council'..."_  
  
_"I think that means he likes it,"_  Chelsea snickered.  
  
_"...we have long presumed that this so-called 'Council' are also responsible for the disappearance of Astrit. Was this a reasonable and accurate assumption on our part, to your knowledge?"_  Logan continued.  
  
The mood in the room did a complete 180. The smile abruptly fell from Chelsea's face as she reached out to clutch Era's hand, Era gripping on to Chelsea's hand as tightly as she could in response. Patton glanced worriedly at Virgil, and Virgil...  
  
Virgil knew that he had to answer the question, as difficult as it was. "Yes, they did."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Era wince.  
  
Logan, on the other hand, offered a curt nod in response and forged forward with his line of questioning.  _"You say this with an air of certainty, which leads me to believe that you may have some information as to Astrit's whereabouts?"_  
  
Virgil let out a shaky sigh. This was going to be the difficult part. He didn't  _want_  to hurt Era, but there was no way around it. If they wanted to know where Astrit was, what happened to Astrit... "I do, but I'm warning you...you should probably brace yourselves."  
  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to steel himself for what he was about to reveal to the others. "To start - I don't know his  _exact_  location. I'm sorry. Linus took me using Side-Along Apparition."  
  
He paused as if waiting for the others to offer commentary. When there was none, Virgil forced himself to continue. He supposed that he could not expect much else - He hadn't exactly given them much in the way of information as of yet. "They're...they're planning on finishing what was started two years ago."  
  
Virgil knew it would be easier for his friends to understand what he was saying if he was more direct with his words, but it was difficult to admit even  _this_  much.   
  
_"You mean...with the necklace? With that Dalibor guy?"_  Patton gasped, his hand flying to his mouth.  
  
"Yeah. I...I talked to him. Dalibor, that is," Virgil could feel his throat constricting the more he spoke on the subject, but he was determined to continue. He owed that much to his friends, at least.   
  
_"You TALKED to him? How did you talk to him? I thought he was trapped back within that necklace,"_  Era frowned.  _"He didn't...he doesn't...he didn't succeed with the potion, did he?"_  
  
Virgil shook his head. "Not yet."  
  
There was another pause, presumably as his friends scrambled silently to determine what exactly Virgil met by 'yet'. It was Era who spoke first, and understandably so.  _"Yet? What do you mean 'yet'?"_  
  
"They're brewing the potion. They have the necklace. Astrit was wearing it, I'm assuming that's how they're keeping him in place," Virgil elaborated.  
  
_"...and you knew all of this and didn't stop it?"_  Era stared at him, her hands slowly clenching into fists at her sides.  _"Why didn't you stop it?"_  she cried out.  
  
Virgil flinched under the fury of Era's cries, any words that he might have said in defense of himself dying on his tongue. Era had every right to be angry at him,  _why hadn't..._  
  
_"Excuse me? Virgil was still under his father's enchantment at this point in time. As far as he was concerned, he had no reason to act because he did not recognize the true importance of what he was seeing!"_  Logan protested, much to Virgil's surprise.  
  
_"Excuse yourself, Logan! Era has every right to be upset! Her brother's_  life  _may be in danger!"_ Chelsea snapped back.  
  
_"Guys! Guys!"_  Patton called out.  
  
_"What?!"_  Logan and Chelsea bit back at him simultaneously.  
  
Patton winced slightly at the vitriol suddenly directed toward him, but continued nevertheless.  _"We're all frustrated and upset, but the two of you arguing isn't going to make anything better!"_ He turned to Era and Chelsea.  _"No, it is not fair to expect Virgil to have stepped in. He was not in his right mind."_  
  
Logan folded his arms across his chest and glared at Chelsea.  _"Exactly."_  
  
_"BUT,"_  Patton continued, turning toward Logan this time.   
  
Logan blinked in confusion.  _"But?"_  
  
_"Era's anger comes from a position of concern for her brother's well-being. You must keep that in mind. I don't think she's angry at Virgil, she's angry at the situation as a whole! And when we get frustrated, we tend to lash out,"_  Patton explained, not unkindly.   
  
Chelsea rolled her eyes.  _"Not me."_  
  
Logan scoffed.  _"Nor I."_  
  
Patton arched an eyebrow at this.  _"Oh? Then what would you call what you did just now?"_  
  
If the situation weren't so dire, it would be almost comical. Both Logan and Chelsea opened their mouths to argue, but neither could present forth an argument to counter Patton that would not in turn prove Patton exactly right.  
  
It was neither Logan nor Chelsea, nor even Patton who finally broke the silence. It was Era.  
  
_"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Virgil. It's just...I don't know what to do, I want Astrit back, I thought this whole nightmare with the necklace was done and over with..."_  Era's voice shook. Chelsea put her arms around her and squeezed tightly.  
  
"No need to apologize. No hard feelings," Virgil responded. He then met Chelsea's eyes and gave a nod, non-verbally telling Chelsea that this comment was not only directed toward Era but Chelsea as well.  
  
Chelsea relaxed considerably at that, and even shot Virgil a slight smile.  
  
Logan cleared his throat, causing the other four to glance in his direction once more.  _"Perhaps we ought to divest our anger and frustration on a target far more deserving of such treatment."_  
  
Era glanced upward, dabbing at her eyes before narrowing her eyes in determination.  _"If you mean who I think you mean, I'm ready."_  
  
Logan nodded.  _"Let us commence our quest to return Roman and Astrit to their rightful place among us."_  
  
It wasn't going to be easy. Virgil knew that, and he was fairly certain that the others did as well. But they had each other, and they  _damn well_  weren't going to give up easily.


	34. Chapter 34

Virgil and the others set off on their mission. They could only hope that they would make it in time - especially Virgil, the only one other than Roman who knew firsthand what Roman was getting himself into. Though even Virgil could not predict just how far south things had actually gone during the period they'd remained hidden in order to regroup...  
  
\-------------------------------------------  
  
They'd probably noticed that he was being abnormally quiet by this point, but Roman did not particularly care. It was better to be quiet than outright give away who he was, and besides - He needed that time to be alone with his thoughts.  
  
It was hard to take his eyes from the form that continue to unceremoniously lay on the floor. Linus, Victoria, and Edward spoke about him as if he were vermin that they were trying to dispose of. They did not even consider him  _human_.  
  
And the knowledge that the young man on the floor was not who he appeared to be did not detract from this.  
  
Linus, Victoria, and Edward still  _thought_  they'd killed Patton - the man that Roman loved, the man who made him happy, the man that he desired to spend the rest of his life with. They would have murdered the man that their son loved, in  _cold-blood_ , simply because his  _parentage_  was not what they deemed acceptable.  
  
They thought they  _had_  done just that, and were  _celebrating_.  
  
They wouldn't be celebrating if they knew who they'd just killed.   
  
\-------------------------------------------  
  
The closer the group crept to where Linus, Roman, Victoria, and Edward were located, the more difficult Virgil found it to pushing himself to go forward. He knew what he needed to do, but what he  _wanted_  to do stood in stark opposition to that. He wanted to run, to hide, to get as far away from the man who successfully turned him into his  _puppet_  as he possibly could. Virgil's heart was pounding so hard that he could hear his heartbeat in his ears.  
  
He felt a hand slip into his, giving it a squeeze. Glancing over, Virgil saw Logan at his side.  _"It's alright, Virgil. We're here. We won't let anything happen to you again,"_  Logan assured him.  
  
This was something that Logan could not guarantee him, and Virgil was well aware of this. Virgil felt marginally better nevertheless, just knowing that he wasn't  _alone_  this time.  
  
\-------------------------------------------  
  
 _"What happens now?"_  Roman asked Linus, Edward, and Victoria in a forced calm.  
  
Linus cast a sideways glance at the figure.  _"Well we can't just leave him lying on the floor of the room. Just his filth seeping into the floorboards has probably decreased the value of this home alre-Virgil what in Merlin's name are you doing?"_  
  
 _"You don't deserve to say that name. Merlin would roll over in his grave if he heard the likes of_  you  _using his name,"_  Roman hissed.  
  
 _"How dare you speak to me in that way! What has gotten into you?"_  Linus growled.  
  
"Don't you mean what has gotten  _out_  of him?" a familiar voice announced.  _Too_  familiar. Identical, in fact, to someone already present within the room.  
  
Linus turned to see his younger son standing in the doorway to the room, his wand outstretched. He then glanced back to the  _identical_  form standing mere feet away from him.  _"What is the meaning of..."_  
  
"Game's over, Linus. I'm not your pawn anymore," Virgil announced with an icy glower in the direction of the 'man' he had the misfortune to call his biological father.  
  
 _"Linus, what is the meaning of this? Why are there two Virgils?"_ Victoria stared...and Roman was delighted to see that she looked a little unnerved.  
  
 _"I should think that would be rather obvious. One of them is not Virgil,"_  Edward declared.  _"And I am willing to bet that it is the young man standing in THAT doorway!"_  he pointed a finger in the direction of the Virgil that still stood in the entrance to the room...the Virgil that began to snicker at the accusation.  
  
"Who, me? I wouldn't be so sure about that," he smiled.  
  
 _"I'm shocked, father,"_  an identical voice from behind him drew Edward's attention back toward the  _other_  Virgil, the supposed 'real' one. Victoria and Linus, too, turned to the source of the voice. They watched with growing horror as this Virgil's features twisted, shifted, and bubbled until another young man stood in his place.  _"You don't even recognize your own son?"_  
  
Edward roared and lurched forward toward Roman. Linus immediately threw up his hands, and Edward stopped, glancing to Linus in confusion.  _"What are you doing? I'm trying to discipline my complete and utter failure of a son!"_  
  
 _"Oh, that's so wounding, coming from_  you _,"_  Roman scoffed.  
  
 _"And I will not deny you that opportunity! I certainly have a bone to pick with my own progeny,"_  Linus cast a glare in Virgil's direction, and though Virgil's hand immediately seized tighter around his wand as his muscles tensed, he did everything in his power to meet his father's glare with one of his own.  
  
Was he afraid? Oh yes. Would he give Linus the satisfaction of knowing this? Not if he could help it.  
  
Virgil did not expect the corners of Linus' mouth to curve upward into a smirk.  _"And we will have ample opportunity to do so. After all, what are two teenagers against three accomplished wizards? To even entertain the notion that these two would prove the slightest bit of a challenge is..."_  
  
 _"Absurd? Perhaps. I would bear in mind that both Virgil and Roman are of-age wizards who have nearly completed 7 years of schooling at Hogwarts, thus putting them at a higher tier than 'mere teenagers', but two versus three still puts them at a disadvantage, I will concede that point to you. However, I must counter that Virgil and Roman are not alone in their endeavors,"_ a new voice joined the fray, one that Linus, Edward, and Victoria clearly did not recognize.  
  
Logan stepped out from around the corner, joining Virgil in the doorway.   
  
 _"Who..."_  Linus gaped.  
  
"Oh dear, I'd hoped this introduction would be under better circumstances," Virgil sighed, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Logan, this is my father. Father, this is Logan, my  _boyfriend_."  
  
Linus remained utterly speechless for several seconds, before he regained his composure.  _"Oh? And I bet he's a filthy Mudblood too, is he?"_  
  
 _"Half-blood, actually,"_  Logan corrected.  _"But seeing as you have gravely insulted my mother by equating her blood to dirt, I suppose we're splitting hairs at this point."_  
  
 _"So_  three  _teenagers against three adults. Still seems as if we have the advantage here,"_  Victoria tittered.  
  
 _"Really?"_  a feminine voice called out from behind Virgil.  
  
 _"Do you think we're that stupid?"_  another feminine voice, this one distinctly different from the first.  
  
Era and Chelsea stepped out from the shadows.  
  
Edward roared.  _"I've had enough of this! See this?! I presume this pathetic Mudblood was your friend! We made quick work of him, and we'll do the same with you lot as well! Who wants to go first?"_  
  
 _"Oooh, oooh, pick me! I like games!"_  a jovial voice joined the fray.  _"Especially games where you dress up as someone else! Do you like those games?"_  
  
 _"Oh dear, these children think that this is all a game? Who wants to tell them?"_  Victoria snickered.  
  
 _"But I do like those sorts of games!"_  Patton protested as he joined his friends.  _"Don't you?"_  
  
 _"You? What..."_  Linus stared.  
  
 _"But we..."_  Victoria gasped.  
  
 _"If you're there, then who did we..."_  Edward, Victoria, and Linus cast their gaze back at the figure that lay on the floor. The figure whose face began to warp, bubble, and shift in the same way Roman's had.  
  
 _"We should be thanking you for making the job a little bit easier for us!"_  Chelsea smiled.  
  
Indeed, it was not Patton who lay on the ground of Thompson Manor after all, but  _James_  instead.


	35. Chapter 35

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the room.   
  
Then everything seemed to happen at once.  
  
Victoria let out a wail, throwing herself over the dead body of her eldest son. Edward immediately turned on Roman, fury burning in his eyes. Virgil stepped forward to help, but was stopped by Linus, who stood directly in his way.  
  
 _"Enough,"_  Linus glared, extending his wand outward at Virgil.   
  
Virgil caught sight of three figures rushing past him out of the corner of his eye, presumably to help Roman.  
  
"Enough what, Linus?" Virgil glared back.  
  
 _"I could have killed you right away. Instead, I gave you a chance. You could have been great. You could have been proud!"_  Linus snarled.  _"I would have given you the world."_  
  
Virgil sneered. "For what? My undying loyalty? I don't think so. That's your problem, Linus - You never figured out how this 'parenting' thing actually worked, did you?"  
  
Linus scoffed.  _"Like hell I didn't. Up until your literal friends came and ruined it, you were at my beck and call!"_  
  
There was a shout on the other side of the room and Virgil's grip on his wand tightened, but did not take his eyes off of his father. "Wrong again, Linus. You screwed up. I didn't have all of the pieces of the puzzle to put it together, but I knew  _something_  was wrong the moment you did not help me after I gave that prophecy. A word of advice, Linus - If you're going to paint yourself as a doting father in the false memories you implant in your own's son head, you might want to actually exert an effort to live up to them. Otherwise your stories start to fall apart real fast."

Linus growled.  _"I've had enough of this insolence. Crucio"_  
  
 _"Diffindo!"_  Logan cried from behind Virgil at the same time. Linus dodged Logan's spell, but the dodge cost him his accuracy with the Cruciatus Curse. The curse flew past Virgil and afforded Virgil time to withdraw his own wand.  
  
Unfortunately, Linus remained undeterred.  _"Bet you two think you're clever, don't you? It's all a bit sad, really. The son I left earlier today would have been disgusted with your actions. Stupefy!"_  
  
"Protego!" Virgil responded, casting a shield charm around both himself and Logan. "Who  _cares_ what the son you left earlier today would think? He wasn't  _real_ , he was a caricature that you created of what you saw as the perfect son. And even that fell apart. You couldn't even keep your so-called 'perfect son' happy, because it was obvious even to  _him_  that you didn't care about him, only what he had to offer you. You know what? I actually feel  _bad_  for Lionel. I never thought I would say that. I don't forgive him for what he's done, but...he did it all for you, didn't he?"  
  
 _"He certainly did!"_  Lionel boasted.  _"He always was a far better son than you were. My pride and joy!"_  
  
Virgil let out a derisive snort. "Your pride and joy. Yet your pride and joy wasn't much use to you in prison so you had to  _replace_  him. You still needed someone to carry out your orders so you didn't have to get your hands dirty. That way you could continue working behind the scenes at the Ministry. Tell me, if I'd gotten caught, would you have used me as your fall boy too?"  
  
 _"I will not stand for this insolence any longer! Bombarda!"_  Linus roared.   
  
Virgil and Logan each countered with spells of their own.It was clear that their conversation was over, but Virgil did not particularly care. He said what he needed to say.  
  
As little as Virgil wanted to admit it, Linus was  _incredibly_  adept at dueling. He might prefer that his sons carry out the dirty work, but he was fully capable of doing the job himself if he needed to. Together, Virgil and Logan were able to hold their own against Linus, but Virgil suspected the battle would be a lost cause if either were facing Linus on their own.

Admittedly Virgil and Logan, who had little experience with tandem dueling, struggled at first. However, they quickly worked out a system that allowed them to best utilize their strengths. Virgil concentrated mainly on defense spells, as those were always his best subject. Logan, on the other hand, focused more on the offense, and was even able to get a couple of nice shots on Logan.  
  
Virgil did manage to chance a glance at the other battles taking place in the room. There were spells flying everywhere. Patton, Chelsea, and Era joined Roman, while Victoria quickly joined her husband when she saw how many opponents were husband was facing. Unfortunately, Roman, Patton, Chelsea, and Era seemed just as evenly matched with Victoria and Edward as Virgil and Logan were with Linus.   
  
It might be three against six, but Linus, Victoria, and Edward  _undoubtedly_  had more experience than they did, and it showed.   
  
 _"James is dead because of you!"_  Virgil could hear Victoria shriek across the room just as he saw a red light flying directly at Logan.  
  
He cast a shield charm just in the nick of time. Linus' spell ricocheted off of the magical barrier and back toward Linus, but Linus was able to cast a shield charm of his own and the spell was absorbed by the older wizard's shield.  
  
 _"Because of me? Maybe you should check to make sure you're killing the right person before you act. Or wait, here's an idea - don't murder someone you've never met because they were born to the wrong set of parents!"_  Roman retorted.  
  
The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward at that.   
  
 _"Disappointment...such a disappointment. Too bad it's not_  you  _laying there instead of him!"_ Edward roared, a jet of light flying in the direction of Roman. A spell from Era diverted the spell just in time.  
  
 _"Thank you, Era,"_  Roman nodded to her. Era nodded back.  
  
 _"How can you stand there and talk about your son like that? You are terrible parents!"_  Patton admonished. He was holding his own against the Prince parents as well, something that undoubtedly irked them immensely.

 _"It is none of your business how we discipline our son, Mudblood,"_  Victoria huffed.  
  
 _"Patton. The name is_  Patton,  _not Mudblood. You might wanna memorize the correct name if I'm gonna be your son-in-law!"_  
  
Were Virgil not entangled in his own battle, he would have likely burst out laughing at Patton's comeback. Virgil did not know whether Patton was speaking hypothetically, or whether he and Roman were  _actually_  engaged - It struck him that he'd likely missed out on a  _lot_  while under Linus' spell.  
  
The thought only energized him to keep up his fight with Linus that much more.  
  
The battle raged on. It looked as though endurance would be the deciding factor - which faction of the battle could stay standing the longest. The loud bang that erupted from the other side of the room put an end to that.


	36. Chapter 36

Virgil's eyes widened in horror as he glanced in the direction of the commotion on the other side of the room.   
  
It was hard to see what was happening over there. He was fairly certain that he saw a figure laying on the ground, but he could not afford to pay too much heed to it, as he and Logan were still engaged in their duel with Linus - and Linus did not seem to be letting up.   
  
 _"Roman? ROMAN!"_  Virgil heard Patton scream. A chill went up Virgil's spine as he chanced a glance in the direction of the shout. He clenched his teeth together as he felt a pain cut through his side.  
  
 _"Hear that, boy? Your friends are already falling. And it looks like you're well on your way to doing so as well. Why don't I do the two of you together?"_  Linus chortled.  
  
Yet...Virgil couldn't possibly be the only one who noticed an odd absence of flashes and bangs from the other side of the room.   
  
 _"Avada..."_  Linus brandished his wand outward toward Virgil and Logan Virgil's eyes going wide as they met the frenzied eyes of his biological father. Linus wanted to kill him. Linus was  _going to kill him, and Logan too_. And though he moved to aim his wand, he didn't think he would get there in time...would Logan?  
  
 _"Incarcerous!"_  Chelsea shouted from behind Linus. Ropes bound themselves around Linus, who let out a loud snarl.  
  
 _"Silencio!"_  Logan called, the second spell hitting Linus with no barrier now that Linus' hands were bound.  _"I think we've heard quite enough from you."_  
  
Virgil's wide-eyed gaze shifted to the other side of the room. Victoria, Edward, and James were nowhere to be found. Roman was propped up against a wall, unconscious and breathing shallowly. Era was seated on the ground, conscious but clearly in pain. Patton was desperately trying to wake Roman. Chelsea was standing over Era with her wand still outstretched toward Linus.  
  
...Victoria, Edward, and James were  _gone_.  
  
"What...happened?" Virgil stared  
  
 _"I...we still don't know. One minute we were fighting Roman's parents, the next there was a large blast and they were gone,"_ Era frowned.  
  
 _"Did they blow themselves up?"_  Patton wondered.  
  
Chelsea shook her head.  _"I don't think so. I think they cast that blast to preoccupy us, then Disapparated while they were still under the cover of the debris cloud they generated."_  
  
 _"They took James with them by the looks of it. Least they clean up their own garbage,"_  Era commented with a wry grin, trying to pull herself to her feet but struggling to do so.  
  
"Hear that?" Virgil turned to his father, his eyes narrowing. "They abandoned you. They  _abandoned_  you," Virgil started to chuckle. "They abandoned you the moment things started to get rough, just like you did with Lionel and were intending to do with me if I ever got into trouble when I was your little puppet. Not so fun when you're on the receiving end, is it  _father_?"   
  
Linus glared up at him. Virgil continued to chuckle, though this time it sounded nearly hysterical. "You deserve to pay, for what you've done to me, to my friends...hell, even to Lionel. Of course, none of that means anything to you, does it? You don't care. You don't...you don't feel bad for any of it," Virgil had to force his words around the growing lump in his throat.  
  
"You don't  _care_  how many people you hurt. You don't care that you took my life, my  _happiness_  away from me. You don't care that you stripped me of  _everything_. You don't care what that did to my friends. What that must have done for  _Mom_. What must she have thought when I disappeared? What must she be thinking now? None of that mattered though, did it? All that mattered was that you got your little puppet," Virgil could feel his eyes welling up at this point.  
  
"You don't deserve...after everything you've put me through...if you could feel one measure of the pain that you put others through...you don't deserve...you don't..." Virgil extended his wand outward, arm shaking. "A-Avad-" He was pleased to see Linus' grin fall right off of his face...he was finally going to get his comeuppance for what he'd done...  
  
 _"No, Virgil, don't,"_  Logan placed his hand on Virgil's shoulder, causing Virgil to jump.  
  
"He...I..." Virgil stammered, his hand still shaking.  
  
 _"He's not worth it,"_  Logan said quietly.  
  
"He...he..." Virgil continued, his wand still pointed at Linus.  
  
 _"He's not worth it. He's not worth it, Virgil. Just...he's not worth it."_    
  
Virgil's wand fell back to his side.

Virgil and Logan made their way over to where their friends were. Era looked as though she needed one of her legs treated, as it was swollen to twice the size it normally was. It did not seem to be causing her any outright harm other than pain and discomfort, but it would still be best to get her either to Hogwarts or to St. Mungo's where they could reverse the effects of the spell.  
  
To Hogwarts or St. Mungo's, because though Logan tried, he could not seem to find a spell to heal her leg, which meant that it was likely a dark curse that hit her in the first place.  
  
Then there was Roman, who still would not wake up despite Patton's frantic pleas. Virgil's mind immediately jumped to the worst possibility, and his heart lurched at the thought. He could feel at least some of the tension leave his body when he saw the steady rise and fall of Roman's chest. It didn't solve the problem of Roman being unconscious, but at least he wasn't dead.  
  
Virgil took a few uneasy steps toward Patton, desperate to help in any way that he could. They were supposed to bring down the Princes and Linus, then find Astrit, but...  
  
 _"Enjoying the view, Virgil? It'll be your last,"_  Virgil froze at the sound of his father's voice. Hadn't Logan silenced him? Hadn't Chelsea  _bound_  him?  
  
Virgil began to turn on the spot, terrified but determined not to show it, determined to meet his father's eyes.   
  
As he turned, her heard his father begin to shout.  _"Avada..."_  
  
But as Linus spoke, another voice countered with an incantation of their own.


	37. Chapter 37

_"Avada Kedav-"_  
  
 _"Avada Kedavra!"_  
  
The two voices shouted at once, blending together and making it difficult to tell who vocalized what.  
  
Virgil braced himself, closing his eyes. He would have cast a shield charm, but why bother? Defense Against the Dark Arts was Virgil's best subject; he  _knew_  that Avada Kedavra was the one spell that a shield charm would not protect against, no matter how powerful it was.&nbsp  
  
...the spell would have hit by now, wouldn't it?  
  
Maybe it already had. The Killing Curse was supposed to be painless, and he'd indeed felt no pain. Was he a ghost now? He felt solid enough, but did ghosts actually  _feel_  any different than they did in life?  
  
 _"Virgil! Virgil!"_  That was Logan's voice. Virgil slowly opened his eyes, casting a glance in the direction of Logan's voice.  
  
  
"Logan, I-"  
  
His statement was interrupted by Logan throwing his arms around him and squeezing him as tightly as he could.  
  
Virgil let out a noise that sounded somewhere halfway between a choke and a snort. "Lo...Logan, I can't breathe..."  
  
Logan pulled away at once.  _"My apologies, Virgil."_  
  
Virgil waved his hand. "No big, I..." He paused in mid-wave, staring at his completely solid hand.  
  
Logan threw his arms  _around_  him, not  _through_  him. Virgil could not breathe when Logan was hugging him. Ghosts did not need to breathe.  
  
Virgil's eyes widened as it finally hit him. "I'm...alive?"  
  
 _"What kind of question is that?"_  Era scoffed from behind them.  _"You're walking and talking, aren't you? All things considered, you're doing better than me at the moment."_  
  
Virgil let out a snort in spite of himself at Era's comment, then turned to Logan in confusion. "But I heard the Killing Curse, and Linus had his wand pointed right at me..."  
  
At that Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his tie before jerking his head ever so slightly.  _"I, um...you, um..."_  
  
 _"You might wanna look behind you,"_  Chelsea finished for him.  
  
Virgil hesitated, then slowly turned on the spot. He reasoned that if Linus still posed a threat, he would have acted long before now.  
  
He let out a breath when he saw Linus lying on the floor, his wand a couple of feet away from his limp hand. Virgil slowly reached for the wand, half expecting Linus' eyes to snap open. This did not happen, however, and Virgil slowly lifted his father's wand.  
  
He place one hand on either end of the wand. He began to bend each end of the wand, intent on destroying the item generated so much  _pain_  in the hands of its owner.  
  
 _"Wait!"_  Logan called out, and Virgil nearly dropped the wand in surprise.

"What the hell, Logan?" Virgil turned to Logan in confusion.   
  
Logan glanced down at the wand in Virgil's hand.  _"I realize how tempting it may be to destroy that wand, but it would be a grave mistake to do so."_  
  
"A mistake? Why? You know everything this wand has done," Virgil protested. He wanted to destroy it, to snap it in half and then snap those halves in half until there was nothing left he could snap. His heart raced, and he ached to do something,  _anything_  with his hands.  
  
 _"Exactly,"_  Logan replied.  
  
"I...guess I'm not following?" Virgil arched an eyebrow at that. Logan acknowledged the horrors the wand in his hand committed. So why did he not want to dispose of it?  
  
 _"Prior Incantato. It is a spell that can be used to determine the prior spells that a wand has cast,"_  Logan explained.  
  
Virgil wasn't usually one to jump to action right away - Roman typically fulfilled that role in their team. It was a testament to just how much recent events impacted him that he immediately leaped to wanting to destroy Linus' wand rather than make the considerations that Logan did.  
  
Especially when Logan's considerations made perfect sense. Given Virgil's fragile state, he did not trust himself not to destroy the wand, and thus handed it over to Logan and let out a shaky breath.  
  
"...we can prove not only that he was attacking us, but that he used memory charms on me," Virgil realized, glancing down at the wand that was now in Logan's hand. "He's been using his position at the Ministry to influence things...we can finally prove what he's been up to and make sure he's locked up for good!"  
  
 _"Wait...you still haven't put two and two together?"_  Virgil heard Chelsea say behind him.  
  
"Two and two together on what?" Virgil frowned.  
  
 _"Pretty sure locking up your father's going to be a waste of everyone's time. Take a close look at him, Virgil...and remember what spells were just used,"_  Era pointed out.  
  
Virgil glanced back toward Linus. For the first time, he noticed that his father was laying eerily still. He barely looked as if he were breathing.  
  
...he  _wasn't_  breathing.  
  
Both curses were Killing Curses. If Linus was struck by one of the curses, that meant...  
  
"He's gone," Virgil said in a voice barely above a whisper. "He's  _gone_."  
  
His hand trembled as he slowly lifted it, placing it over his mouth. Tears slipped down his cheeks in a free fall. "He's...he's..." Virgil said through increasingly frequent sobs.  
  
 _"Virgil? Are you...are you alright? Do you need assistance?"_ Logan frowned, inching closer to his boyfriend out of concern for his well-being.  
  
Virgil let out a strained sounding laugh. "Alright?  _Alright?_  He's finally gone. He's finally gone!" Virgil managed to force out of his mouth before giving way to a new wave of sobs.  
  
Sobs that the others, once they listened closer, realized were interspersed with almost hysterical laughter. "He can't come after me anymore. He can't hurt my friends. He can't do anything anymore. He's...he's..." He dabbed at his eyes, though it did little to help when the tears kept freely flowing forth from his eyes. The sounds he made, though, sounded less like sobs and more like full out laughter.  
  
There was still business to attend to. Undoubtedly, the Ministry would turn up soon and investigate the scene. Roman and Era still needed medical attention. They weren't quite out of the woods yet. But Virgil felt better than than he had in a  _long_  time, and it felt as if, for once, things might finally be looking up.


	38. Chapter 38

The Ministry showed up not long after, along with a couple of Mediwizards to look over Roman and Era to determine if their injuries were bad enough to require a trip to St. Mungo's.  
  
Each of them were pulled aside to speak to a Ministry official on their own. As Virgil watched the official pull Patton aside, he took a deep breath. He was  _not_  looking forward to his own interview.  
  
The fact that Logan waited beside him helped a little, but then Logan was called for his own interview and Virgil was left with his thoughts for company.

Virgil opted to watch Logan and Patton in their interviews. He could not tell what was being said, though he could observe their facial expressions as they were questioned. Patton had a friendly demeanor even while being interviewed by a Ministry official, and there were a couple of moments where Patton would say something and he and the Ministry original would each chuckle. Virgil smiled. Leave it to Patton to make people feel at ease even when things were rough.  
  
That said, even Patton's smile fell at various instances throughout the conversation, presumably at moments where the conversation turned to particularly serious matters.  
  
Logan, on the other hand, looked well put together and prepared for every single question that the Ministry official had for him. He could only observe one moment where Logan momentarily paused and an unsure expression passed over his features before he regained his composure and continued.  
  
_"Virgil Thompson?"_  Virgil jolted; it was the same Ministry official who'd interviewed Patton. Patton was over with Roman and the Mediwizards again. Patton's eyes met Virgil's and he gave Virgil a comforting smile and a thumbs up.  
  
It didn't make Virgil feel  _better_ , but it made him feel a little less uneasy.  
  
Once Virgil and the Ministry official were a sufficient distance away from the rest of the hubbub in the room, the man turned to Virgil and extended his hand.  
  
_"Orion Lawrence. You are Virgil Thompson, correct?"_  the man asked him.  
  
Virgil nodded wordlessly and met Lawrence's hand with his own, giving it a shake.  
  
_"How are you holding up?"_  Lawrence asked, eying Virgil. Virgil felt tense under the man's gaze, though he tried not to show it.  
  
"I'm fine," Virgil lied, because whether he was fine or not wasn't what mattered. What mattered was getting through the interview.  
  
_"Son of Linus Thompson?"_    
  
"Y-Yeah..."   
  
_"You are aware of what happened to your father, correct?"_  
  
Very much so. Virgil forced himself to nod

 _"Can you describe to me your best recollection of the events as they unfolded?"_  Lawrence questioned, holding a pen and paper.  
  
Great, Lawrence planned on recording his response. That did  _wonders_  to soothe Virgil's nerves. "What events? Linus' death?"  
  
Lawrence looked a bit taken aback at Virgil referring to his father by his first name, but then nodded.  
  
Virgil took in a shaky breath as he glanced over in the direction of Linus. "We'd just...we'd just dueled him. Logan and I. We thought we'd subdued him so we went to check on Era and Roman. How are they doing, anyway?"  
  
_"The Mediwizards are still tending to them. Roman Prince may have to go to St. Mungo's, while Era Kastrati is having the counterspell to the curse that struck her leg performed as we speak,"_  Lawrence provided.

Virgil nodded once more, satisfied with these answers. He cast a quick glance in the direction of the Mediwizards, then looked back to the Ministry wizard that stood before him.  
  
_"You said you and Logan dueled your father. What happened next?"_  
  
"I saw that Roman and Era were injured. Patton was busy trying to wake Roman up and Chelsea was trying to help Era. I was about to go and help when I heard...I heard  _him_  say something behind me," Virgil continued.  
  
_"Him...him being your father? Linus Thompson?"_  
  
"Yes," Virgil confirmed.  
  
_"What did he say, if you recall?"_  
  
Virgil furrowed his brow as he tried to recall the exact remark.   
  
_"You do not have to remember what he said word for word, just the general message he was trying to get across,"_  Lawrence clarified.  
  
Well  _that_  was a relief at least. "He said something about me enjoying the view, because...because it would be my last." Virgil swallowed past the growing lump in his throat.  
  
_"He threatened to kill you,"_  Lawrence frowned. It was not a question, but rather a statement.  _"What happened then, to the best of your recollection?"_  
  
Virgil closed his eyes and clenched his hands together. "I tried to reach for my wand, but I knew I wouldn't reach it in time. So I braced myself for it. I even though that maybe it already happened and I just didn't feel it. They say the Killing Curse is painless after all. But...I did hear someone else say the Killing Curse at the same time."  
  
Lawrence paused in the middle of his writing and peered at Virgil.  _"You say 'someone'...you don't recall who cast the curse?"_  
  
Virgil shook his head. "There was a lot going on at the time, and the two voices kind of blended together..."   
  
Lawrence nodded and wrote a few things down. A small smile crept onto his features as he set the paper and pen aside and addressed Virgil directly.  _"I will tell you this - As you well know, we have interviewed not only you, but your friends as well. Your stories all check out - no inconsistencies, as we would expect if you and your friends were making up the story."_  
  
"But we're not-" Virgil felt a lurch in his chest as he began to protest, and the Ministry worker held up his hand.  
  
Virgil fell silent at once, shifting back and forth from leg to leg in an attempt to work out his remaining nervous energy.  
  
_"I do not believe that you and your friends made up this story, but we still had to give our due diligence to the investigation. The testimonies of yourself and your friends, as well as the evidence that we have gathered from rooms throughout the house as well as your father's wand - there appears to be an abundance of evidence pointing to Linus Thompson's death being a matter of self-defense. Well, perhaps not self-defense, as his intended target was not the one who cast the curse, but it still came down to a matter of life or death,"_  Lawrence amended.  
  
"You know who cast the curse?" Virgil blinked, resisting the urge he had to smack himself in the forehead immediately afterward. Of course he knew who cast the curse. He'd interviewed  _everyone_.  
  
Lawrence nodded, casting a glance in the direction of Logan and Patton, who were now conversing next to a couple of Mediwizards who were still tending to Roman.  _"Not only did Logan Dicax confess to being the caster, but he provided a full explanation for his actions. Your testimony corroborated his, as did the testimonies of all of your other friends."_  
  
Virgil's eyes widened. Logan. Of  _course_. But one thing still did not sit well with him. "Is he...is he in trouble for doing what he did?"  
  
If Logan went to Azkaban because of  _him_...  
  
_"No, he is not in trouble. The evidence shows that the curse he cast was a direct response to not only a death threat but a partially cast Killing Curse by Linus Thompson. We have no reason to press charges,"_  Lawrence explained, and it felt as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders and his body even  _felt_ lighter.  
  
_"You are free to go for now...but we may wish to talk to you again at a later date. Thank you for your cooperation."_  
  
Virgil gave one last nod to Lawrence before he stepped away.  
  
He set off toward Logan, realizing that there were still a few things that he needed to talk to the Ravenclaw about.  
  
And Patton too, for that matter.


	39. Chapter 39

As Virgil made his way over to Logan and Patton, he passed Chelsea and Era. Era was squeezing Chelsea's hand as the Mediwizards tended to her leg, which was still swollen but not to the extent it was before. The two noticed Virgil look in their direction and Chelsea gave him a wan smile while Era shot him a thumbs up with her free hand. He also glanced over at Roman, who was still unconscious, and let out a shaky sigh.  
  
_"He should be fine, but...they don't have what they need to help him here. They have to take him to St. Mungo's,"_  he heard Patton say from beside him.  
  
Virgil turned to see Patton and Logan standing beside him. They'd apparently made their way over to him while he was distracted.

"But they said he was going to be okay?" Virgil asked. "Like, no lasting effects?" There were, after all, differing ways to interpret the word okay. It might mean that Roman was going to be perfectly fine, but it might also mean that the Mediwizards merely did not think it likely that Roman would  _die_. Virgil figured it would be helpful to determine which one it was so that he did not get his hopes up too high only to have them shattered if it turned out to be the latter.  
  
_"Well they didn't say whether or not there would be any lasting effects, but they said that they were mainly taking him to St. Mungo's to keep an eye on him to make sure that nothing worse happens,"_  Patton replied.  
  
"...so they don't know themselves. That's helpful," Virgil commented before he could stop himself.  
  
Patton immediately looked stricken, and a wave of guilt washed over Virgil. "I'm sorry Patton, I shouldn't have..."  
  
Patton let out a strained chuckle and made a waving motion with his hand.  _"Ah, don't worry about it, they said he'd be fine, and I trust them to keep their word! I'm not worried at all! Oh, looks like they might need more help over there. I should go over there and help them!"_  
  
Virgil watched helplessly as Patton made his way back over to his unconscious boyfriend and the Mediwizards tending to him.  
  
He heard Logan sigh from behind him.  _"That could have gone better,"_  he observed.  
  
"...thanks Logan, you always know what to say just when I need to hear it," Virgil responded, heavy sarcasm steeped in his tone.  
  
_"I believe it was Patton himself who proclaimed that the emotional stakes were high earlier..and I feel that the same observation should be applied to this situation,"_  Logan remarked.  
  
"Well yeah, he has every right to be upset. He's already worried about Roman and then I went and said  _that_?"  
  
_"You said what all of us were thinking. Roman's long-term prognosis is uncertain at the moment. We are all concerned. You merely voiced that concern at a time when Patton was actively trying to ignore it,"_  Logan explained.  
  
This did little to alleviate Virgil's guilt, but..props to Logan for  _trying_? "He doesn't even want to talk to me," Virgil muttered as he watched Patton talking to one of the Mediwizards.  
  
_"On the contrary, Virgil, he was the one who initiated the conversation just now,"_  Logan pointed out.  _"I believe, if I present my own hypothesis based on what I have observed thus far...Patton is feeling helpless and wishes that he could do more to assist Roman."_  
  
"You talk even more intellectual than usual when you're stressed out," Virgil pointed out.  
  
Logan shrugged.  _"I suppose we each have our own coping mechanisms."_  He did not seem offended, however, which was a good thing. The last thing he needed was for both his best friend  _and_  his boyfriend to be upset because he could not keep his mouth shut.

Apparently  _his_  coping mechanism was diarrhea of the mouth?  
  
_"Do you need assistance of any sort?"_  Logan asked.  
  
"Uh...think I'm good? My leg's fine, I can walk on it and everything...  
  
_"I do not mean that sort of assistance and I think you know that,"_ Logan countered.  
  
Virgil bit at his bottom lip. "I don't know about assistance but...I was hoping to talk to you? Patton too, but I screwed that one up." Virgil slid his hands into his pockets.  
  
_"I am sure that you will be able to converse with Patton at a later time. What is it that you wished to talk to me about?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
"I...thanks for...uh, what you did with Linus," Virgil replied.  
  
Logan shrugged.  _"I merely took the action..it seemed the most acceptable course...it...he..."_  Logan's voice shook a little, and Virgil reflexively reached an arm forward to comfort Logan. Before he made contact with Logan, however Logan let out a shaky sigh reminiscent of Virgil's own sigh earlier.  _"He was going to kill you, and I could not bear...I already lost you once. I could not... _cannot_...do so again."  
  
_Virgil slowly placed his arms around Logan, pulling him into a short embrace. As they parted, the corners of Virgil's mouth curved upward. "Love you too."  
_  
_ Logan smiled, then cast a glance back toward Linus when he heard a shout. Virgil glanced over as well, but it turned out to merely be a Ministry worker calling out for their peer. _  
  
_"Can I ask one more question?" Virgil said suddenly. _  
  
"Of course," _Logan replied. _  
_  
"I was about to...do what you just did, but you said he wasn't worth it. What did you mean by that?" _  
  
"I...weighed the pros and cons," _Logan admitted. _"I did not mean to suggest that he was deserving of mercy after everything that he has done - he has certainly shown no mercy to any of his own victims, yourself included. I was concerned as to how his death would affect you personally."  
  
_Virgil shot Logan a questioning look. "I don't..." he frowned, struggling to determine what he wanted to say next...to determine how he felt in the first place. "I'm not upset that he's gone, but I feel like I should be." _  
_  
_"And that is precisely why I stopped you,"_ Logan provided by way of explanation. _  
  
_"...because I'm not upset that he's gone?"  
  
_"Because you feel you should be,"_ Logan clarified. _"I am not saying that you are wrong to feel what you feel, do not misinterpret me - I merely recognized the moral conundrum that you would find yourself in had you acted, and felt that a scoundrel like him was not worth that sort of grief."_  
  
"What about you, though?" Virgil frowned.

 _"What about me?"_  Logan asked in a puzzled tone.  
  
"What about how this effects  _you_?"   
  
_"I would not have used such a curse as my first resort. I reiterate - He was about to_  kill _you, Virgil. I needed to act, and do so promptly,"_  Logan explained.  _"My feelings on the matter are irrelevant - What is relevant is that you are still here."_  
  
"...just..." Virgil looked Logan up and down, trying to ascertain if Logan was  _really_  as well as he said he was. "...if you need to talk, at any point, if its days, weeks, even months from now...I'm here."  
  
Logan managed the slightest of smiles.  _"I appreciate that, Virgil. Now...I believe you said that you wished to speak with Patton?"_


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for thoughts of self-harm, hair pulling, spiraling thoughts, and panic attacks

Virgil did not get the chance to talk to Patton - not right away, at least.  
  
Just as Virgil and Logan were wrapping up their conversation, the Mediwizards working on Roman announced that he was ready to be move to St. Mungo's. Era would be moved to St. Mungo's as well, but only for a short observation period to make certain that she experienced no more difficulty with her leg.  
  
The group traveled to the hospital - Virgil, Logan, Patton, and Chelsea accompanying Roman and Era. He recalled the two other times he'd visited St. Mungo's - Once when his mother was a patient, and the other when  _he_  was a patient. It was hard to believe that mere  _months_  had passed since his stint as a patient at St. Mungo's.  
  
Patton was abnormally quiet. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet when Toby was in St. Mungo's the prior year as well, but this was more profound. He stared quietly down at his shoes, not even acknowledging the conversation that Logan and Chelsea struck up about what might happen with the Council now that Linus was gone.  
  
 _"He seemed like a fairly high ranking member, surely these events must have shaken them at least somewhat,"_  Logan proposed.  
  
 _"High up, yes, but not the leader. And since he's not the leader it's a lot easier to just appoint someone to replace him. Roman's parents got away too, which doesn't help,"_  Chelsea sighed.  
  
 _"I'm...I'll be right back,"_  Patton murmured in an almost inaudible voice as he slowly rose to his feet and made his way to the door.  He did not wait for a response from the other three.

Logan and Chelsea abruptly stopped talking. Virgil shuffled in his seat before opting to stand. "I think...I'm going to go check on him. I'll be back in a bit guys, k?"  
  
The two Ravenclaws nodded. Virgil thought they might resume their conversation once he made his leave, but it appeared that even they found it difficult to continue on given everything that happened.  
  
Virgil found Patton seated by himself in the tearoom. He began to pull out a chair, then paused upon seeing Patton jolt and glance upward. "Uh...you mind if I sit here?"  
  
Patton seemed to weigh his options for a moment before motioning for Virgil to take a seat.  
  
Virgil sat down across from Patton. He wanted to be there for Patton, and physically  _was_  there for him now...but Patton did not need a physical presence at the moment. He needed an emotional presence. And Virgil wasn't exactly sure how to go about giving Patton the emotional support that he needed at this point in time.  
  
He didn't even know what to  _say_ , let alone  _do_.  
  
 _"Do you think he's going to die?"_  Patton asked quietly, still not looking up from the ground.  
  
"Didn't the Mediwizards say that he'd be okay?" Virgil questioned.  
  
 _"They did...but as you pointed out, they don't really have a lot of the answers, and they could have just been saying that to make me feel better...but I don't want to feel better. I mean I do, but I don't. I shouldn't. Not while Roman is still..."_  Patton chewed on his lip. He glanced up at Virgil with watery eyes before casting his gaze back toward his shoes.  
  
Virgil reached over to put his arm on Patton's shoulder, only to pull away in alarm when Patton not only tensed but jerked away.  
  
"I...I'm sorry, I should have asked first, I mean, we're all jumpy after what's happened..." Granted, Virgil was jumpy more often than most, but he was in good company this time around.  
  
Patton rubbed gently at his own shoulder.  _"It's okay, it just...that shoulder flares up every once in a while. Logan thinks I might have tweaked it when I got hit with the Cruciatus Curse, but..."_  
  
If body language was any indication, he realized what he said at the exact moment that Virgil did. Both of them froze simultaneously, though in Virgil's case this was also accompanied by a sudden tightness in his chest and a feeling of nausea.  
  
He did this. It was his fault that Patton was hurt. Patton might have a  _permanent injury_  because of him.   
  
Virgil could tell that he was spiraling. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to  _rip his hair out_...he wanted to cry for help, but he  _didn't_  want to cry for help, because he didn't deserve help, not after what he'd done, and he could faintly hear someone calling out his name, but the static in his ears made it too hard to hear, and he had his head in his hands and he grabbed at his hair, and it hurt, but that was  _good_ , because he deserved to hurt after what he'd done...  
  
Patton wasn't much better off, all things considered. He felt terrible because he could not help Virgil, but he also did not want to go  _near_  Virgil - mostly because he did not want to make things  _worse_. It was also difficult for Patton to really  _look_  at Virgil after everything that happened. He didn't  _want_  it to be this way. Virgil was his best friend since third year! But then Virgil would make a certain expression or say a certain thing in a certain way and Patton would find himself back on the ground in Knockturn Alley, writhing in unimaginable pain.  
  
And Roman was still unconscious and no one would give him a clear answer on anything and  _how hard was it to answer a simple question dammit?_  
  
Patton finally gave in to what he'd been holding back since Thompson Manor, and allowed his tears to fall. A sob tore its way from his mouth. Why couldn't he be stronger? Why couldn't he be there for Roman? For Virgil?  
  
Logan and Chelsea grew concerned when Virgil and Patton did not return after what they thought was a brief walk. The two set out to look for Virgil and Patton, still oblivious as to what they would find.


	41. Chapter 41

Virgil tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in his chair. He was trying in vain to fall asleep, as it was getting late. Logan already lay fast asleep in the chair next to him, and Virgil was doing his best  _not_  to wait Logan up with all of his movements. Patton and Chelsea were with Roman and Era in their rooms, and Virgil did not want to impede on this time but he couldn't  _bear_  to stay where he was.  
  
He rose to his feet, casting a glance toward Logan. Logan appeared to be sleeping soundly, his glasses resting on the table beside his chair. The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched slightly at the sight. Logan and Chelsea eventually found Virgil and Patton in the tearoom and tended to them, comforting them. The group stayed there a while, until a Mediwitch came to grab them and inform them that Roman and Era were in a room.  
  
Virgil supposed it was good that Roman and Era wound up in the same room. It meant that they would not have to go through the trouble of running back and forth from room to room when visiting their friends. Virgil half-wondered if he should rouse Logan and ask if he wanted to see Roman and Era as well, but he decided against it. Logan looked so calm and at peace, and Virgil did not want to disturb that. He deserved what rest he could get.  
  
Walking into the patient room, Virgil glanced toward Roman's bed. The Gryffindor still lay unconscious, Patton at his bedside staring at him intensely as if he did not want to miss one moment, as if Roman's eyes might crack open the moment he looked away - and thus he did not want to look away.  
  
Virgil turned away from the scene, not because he did not want to see Roman or Patton, but rather because he did not want to intrude. Patton surely  _needed_  this time with Roman.  
  
Instead, he made his way over to the other side of the room. Era was sitting up in bed, muttering under her breath, and Chelsea was at her bedside, equally awake. They both glanced up when they saw Virgil enter the room, and Virgil wondered if he ought not to have walked into  _this_  scene either.  
  
 _"Why am I still here? My leg is clearly_  fine,  _they've observed enough,"_  Era grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and glaring down at her leg as if it gravely offended her. She glanced up when she saw the shadow Virgil cast over her leg.  _"My leg is fine, can I..."_  she started to snap, but then paused when she realized who was standing in the door. Clearly, she thought the shadow was cast by a Healer or some other St. Mungo's employee before she realized it was Virgil.  
  
"They probably just want to make sure you don't hurt it again, or have any reaction to the counterspell they used. That can happen sometimes," Virgil responded quietly, taking a seat next to Chelsea, as there was equipment and a table on the other side of Era that he did not want to interfere with.  
  
 _"Good for them. I have places to go and things I need to do."_  Era huffed.

Virgil shot Era a bewildered expression. "Places to go and things to do?"  
  
Era glared at him with such venom that Virgil actually shrunk back.  _"Astrit is still missing, or did you forget about that? Convenient - We got_  you  _to safety after all,"_  she snapped.  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. He hadn't technically forgotten about Astrit, but he'd admittedly been distracted in light of everything else that happened.   
  
Era correctly interpreted the meaning behind the expression on Virgil's face, but did not react the way that Virgil expected her to. Rather than snip at him again, she seemed to deflate right before his very eyes.  _"I thought everything was going to be fine. I thought we'd get both you and Astrit out of there...that everyone would be safe. Astrit's already been missing once. I could barely handle it then. I don't know if I can do this a second time."_  Her lip trembled.  
  
Chelsea immediately reached for Era's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.  _"Let me know if there is anything, and I mean anything, that I can do to help. I wasn't there for you the first time this happened - I didn't know you back then. It's too bad, I was missing out on knowing one of the greatest women I've ever met,"_  Chelsea smiled, caressing Era's hand with her thumb.  _"You're not alone Era, and if you won't rest until we bring Astrit back, I won't either. I can promise you that."_  
  
Era frowned.  _"Well there is one thing you could do..."_  
  
Chelsea leaned forward at once.  _"Really? Tell me."_  
  
 _"You can help me get out of here,"_  Era replied.  
  
Chelsea cast a glance toward the door, then began to reach for the lever to let the side of Era's bed down.  
  
"What are you doing?" Virgil gaped as Chelsea pulled on the lever and let the side of the bed down. Era slowly swung her legs around, placing them over the side of her bed. Her injured leg was still swollen - nowhere  _near_  to the level it was at Thompson Manor, but that one cursory glance made it clear that Era was not 100%, and that she could potentially put herself into danger if she did go out.  
  
 _"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm helping Era get out of here. Press that button to lower the bed so we can help her off of the bed,"_  Chelsea told him.  
  
"What? No! Era has to stay  _here_ ," Virgil countered.  
  
Chelsea stared at him. Era narrowed her eyes.  _"You don't get it, do you? I'm going to help my brother, and I'm not going to let anything stop me. Not even you. Now stand aside or I'll make you stand aside."_  
  
"I'm not going to stand aside! This is crazy!" Virgil protested.   
  
 _"Shut up!"_  Era snarled, still careful to keep her voice down so as to not gain attention from any Healers. She grabbed her wand from the side table just as Virgil reached for his own wand in his pocket.  
  
Era scoffed, a few stray tears running down her cheeks as she pointed her wand at Virgil.  _"You would stoop so low as to use magic to stop a girl from saving her brother...her best friend? I thought you were a better person than that, Virgil. Now step aside!"_  
  
Virgil, too, kept his wand focused on Era. He tried to hold his wand as still as he could, but the trembles coursing through his figure affected his stance and he realized this. "I'm not going to stand aside and watch you get yourself killed!"  
  
Era faltered for a few seconds before quickly regaining her composure.  _"Get myself killed? I would not get myself killed!"_  
  
"Yes, Era, you would. Your leg is still swollen, and you'd have a hard time fighting them if you were at 100%, let alone right now!" Virgil fired back. He couldn't...he  _knew_  where she was coming from, he  _understood_ , he would be tempted to do the same if it were Logan or Patton...but he could not let her, not when he knew that Era would be putting her life in danger.  
  
Both Era and Chelsea looked as if they wanted to say something back, but another voice entering the fray distracted them from doing so.  
  
 _"Would you guys PLEASE be quiet? Roman's...Roman's trying to rest, and he can't rest if you guys are yelling,"_  a voice called from the other side of the room, followed by a sniffle, and Virgil, Chelsea, and Era each cast glances in the direction of Patton and Roman, where Patton sat huddled at Roman's beside.  
  
 _"Patton, Roman's..."_  Chelsea began to say, but faltered at the look on Patton's face.   
  
Era, on the other hand, threw her wand down in frustration.  _"I just want him back,"_  she sobbed.  _"I'd do anything to have him back...anything..."_  
  
Chelsea immediately threw her arms around her girlfriend.  _"I know Era, I know. We'll get him back, we just...Virgil's right. We have to wait until we're 100%, or near 100%, before we go after them again. I know you want to go after them, but...we have to make sure that we're able to_  succeed,  _otherwise..."_  
  
 _"Otherwise we might never get him back,"_  Era admitted, the tears still rolling down her cheeks.  _"I know. I just hate sitting here, I want to do something."_  
  
Virgil, in the meantime, was aware of Patton talking to Roman on the other side of the room.  
  
 _"Roman? Roman, it's okay, I'm here,"_  Patton sounded as if he were almost  _urging_  Roman.  
  
 _"Roman? Roman?! Yes, that's my hand, you're gonna be alright, you're gonna be okay,"_  Patton continued, and Virgil started over toward Patton. Patton needed someone to be with him right now, and even if Virgil had to keep his distance to make sure that he did not  _hurt_  Patton again, hopefully his presence would at least help somewhat...  
  
 _"Patton?"_  
  
Virgil paused in mid-step. That was not Patton's voice, that was...  
  
Patton had his hand in Roman's, but Roman was  _squeezing his hand back_. His eyes were still closed, but his face was screwed up in what appeared to be either concentration or pain. Virgil and Patton both watched with bated breath as Roman slowly opened his eyes.  _"Patton?"_  he repeated, gazing up at his boyfriend.  
  
Virgil set off for Roman's bedside at once.


	42. Chapter 42

Virgil raced over to Roman's bedside. By this point even Chelsea and Era took note of the commotion and were glancing in the direction of Roman's bed, still hand in hand.  
  
Patton looked as if he wanted to say something, opening and closing his mouth for a couple of repetitions before he began to weep.  
  
 _"Awww Pat, don't cry, I'm here..."_  Roman reached out and wiped at Patton's tears with his hand.  
  
 _"That's why I'm crying. These are happy tears,"_  Patton said in between sobs.  _"You're okay. You're okay!"_  he shouted, as if he needed the repetition to convince himself that this was actually happening - and maybe he  _did_.  
  
"What you did was incredibly stupid, Princey," Virgil told Roman, drawing the latter's attention to the other side of his bed.

"I mean don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but don't  _ever_  do anything like that again. You could have been killed!" Virgil continued.  
  
 _"It was worth it though. We have you back,"_  Roman smiled.  
  
"Just because you're getting all sappy doesn't mean I'll go easy on you," Virgil responded, but the grin on his face was all that one needed to ascertain that Virgil was joking around.  
  
 _"Glad to see you in the land of the living again,"_  Chelsea called out from the other side of the room.  
  
 _"Its good to be back,"_  Roman admitted.  _"So what happened with my parents and Virgil's father? Are they in Ministry custody?"_  
  
Virgil and Patton exchanged looks. Roman's smile fell at once.  _"They escaped, didn't they?"_  
  
"The Prin-er, your parents did," Virgil informed him, stumbling over how to refer to the Prince parents.  
  
 _"And your father?"_  Roman arched an eyebrow, recognizing that there was more to come.

Virgil and Patton exchanged glances.  
  
 _"You want to tell him or should I?"_  Patton asked Virgil.  
  
Virgil shrugged. "Don't think it really matters, he's gonna find out regardless. Logan..."  
  
Roman sat up like a shot, his eyes wide.  
  
"Whoa!" Virgil called out, throwing up his hands in surprise.  
  
 _"Roman?"_  Patton questioned.  
  
 _"Where is he? Where is Logan? That monster...what did he do to Logan?"_  Roman glanced around the room almost frantically.  
  
 _"Do not fret, Roman. I am here,"_  Logan assured Roman as he walked into the room, brushing off his clothes.   
  
Roman let out a massive sigh and let his head fall back to his pillow. Then his gaze shot back to Virgil accusingly.  _"Don't scare me like that!"_    
  
Virgil was about to bite back that he hadn't meant to scare Roman, and that Roman was the one to jump to conclusions and interrupt him before he could finish, but he decided against doing so - especially when he realized that Roman still lacked a  _lot_  of the information the rest of them had.

 _"So Logan is safe...that still does not explain where Linus is,"_ Roman muttered.  
  
 _"He's...well, he's no longer a threat,"_  Patton revealed somewhat hesitantly.  
  
 _"They arrested him, then?"_  Roman began to grin, only to blink back in confusion when he caught the others either staring blankly back or shaking their head.

 _"He's...he's dead, Ro,"_  Patton revealed at last.  
  
 _"Whoa. Who did it? Virgil? I mean I don't blame you if you did, after what he said about..."_  he trailed off as he glanced at Patton, leading Virgil to believe that whatever egregious comment Linus made, Patton was the subject of said comment.  
  
Virgil didn't even realize how tightly he clenched his fists at that until his palms began to ache from his nails digging into them. "It wasn't me, though I was tempted, believe me."

Virgil knew that Roman wanted answers, but he was hesitant to mention that Logan was the one responsible. He did not feel that it was his place to do that, as Logan might not  _want_ Roman to know. That being said, Virgil's resoluteness  _not_  to glance in Logan's direction so as not to draw suspicion from Roman likely had the opposite effect, as he was perhaps a bit  _too_  obvious. It did not help that Patton adopted the same approach.  
  
That said, Logan cleared his throat. Virgil and Patton could not help but look then, and Logan slowly raised his hand.  
  
 _"Logan? You?"_  Roman gasped, the corners of his mouth twitching upward slightly.  _"Wow, remind me not to piss you off,"_ he chuckled.  
  
Logan cleared his throat once more and adjusted his tie.  _"Yes, well, he was about to_  kill  _Virgil, so someone had to step in,"_   he replied, pressing his tie down repeatedly despite the fact that it was already laying as flat as it could be.  
  
"Hey Logan, can I talk to you out in the lobby? Something's really been bugging me and I was hoping you might be able to help me figure it out," Virgil asked him, scratching at the back of his neck as he awaited Logan's response.   
  
Logan shot Virgil a concerned glance, then cast his gaze back toward Patton and Roman.  _"Of course. It is good to see that you are doing better, Roman. We shall leave the two of you to do some catching up."_  
  
Virgil and Logan returned to their prior seats in the lobby, Logan eyeing Virgil closely.  _"What's bothering you? Is it anything that I might be able to assist with?"_  
  
Virgil inhaled in order to steel himself for what he was about to say. "Actually, I'm fine. But I don't think  _you_  are."  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow, letting out a huff.  _"I don't know where you would get an absurd idea such as that."_  
  
"You haven't stopped smoothing out your tie since we started talking to Roman," Virgil pointed out.  
  
Logan slowly pulled his hands away from his tie and let them fall to his sides somewhat stiffly.  _"I merely desired to look well put-together. That is by no means an indication that I am in any way unwell."_  
  
"Then why did you start doing it worse when Roman made that tactless joke?" Virgil mirrored Logan's arched eyebrow from earlier.  
  
 _"I did not find the joke tactless. To the contrary, I thought it was rather amusing,"_  Logan protested, letting out a small chuckle that sounded  _far_  too forced on his part.  
  
Virgil sighed. This was getting nowhere. "Logan,  _please_. You don't have to pretend like this isn't bothering you."  
  
Logan flattened his tie another time before offering a shrug.  _"There is no room for me to be upset. You and the others have faced far greater traumas than I have, I simply wish to be here for you in your time of need."_  
  
"And I want to be here for you in  _your_  time of need," Virgil insisted.  
  
 _"I am not in need of any assistance, Virgil. I am a rock,"_  Logan replied.  
  
"No you're not. A rock couldn't have saved me back there. A rock would have given me up as a lost cause, because let's be honest Lo - that's what all the signs pointed to. You didn't do that. You're not a rock, and you don't have to  _be_  a rock. We all went through that crap back there, you included. Now  _tell me_ what's bothering you or I'll find a way to force it out of you," Virgil glared.  
  
 _"Is that a threat?"_  Logan's eyebrow arched upward once more.  
  
"Maybe it is," Virgil responded. "Do you really want to risk it?"  
  
Logan was silent for a moment or so. Virgil wondered if Logan would say anything at all. Then, at last, Logan held his hand to his mouth to clear his throat once more.  _"I...understand, logically, that Roman was joking back there."_  
  
Virgil nodded, motioning with his hand for Logan to continue.  
  
 _"However, I must reluctantly admit that I did not find the joke particularly amusing? I do not wish to have the sort of effect on people where they are afraid to do something wrong around me lest I react with violence. Yet I...I wonder if I cast the spell too easily. I did it to protect you, but I did it without a second thought. Should I have been more hesitant? It is arguably one of the most difficult spells to cast for a reason, yet I did it without sparing a second thought, much as Roman's parents did to their own son when they thought he was Patton. I suppose that makes me no better than them, all things considered,"_  Logan admitted.  
  
"Dude, just the fact that you're worrying about this is proof that you're not like them. At all. I know you cast the same spell with the same consequences, but...I hate to say this, but I  _know_  the Princes. Linus was close to them, and they came to visit the manor several times. I know what they're like, because I...I was tricked into thinking like them, into thinking I was  _raised_  that way and needed to uphold those standards. You killed Linus because my life was in danger, and if you did not act we might not be talking right now. You killed to protect. They killed because Patton - or who they thought was Patton - was of the wrong blood, and thus was unworthy of life. Trust me Logan, you are a moral paragon compared to them."  
  
 _"I...I do not know what to say to that..."_  
  
Virgil shrugged. "You don't really have to say or do anything right now. We can just sit here a while if you want."  
  
 _"I think I might like that,"_  Logan replied.  _"I...thank you, Virgil,"_  he added somewhat belatedly.  
  
Virgil gave a slight shrug and smiled. "You were there for me earlier. Now I'm returning the favor."


	43. Chapter 43

Virgil figured he must have fallen asleep when the first thing he heard were voices beside them.  
  
 _"Awww, look at how cute they are holding hands!"_  he heard Patton coo.  
  
Virgil let out a light hiss as he gently pulled his own hand away from Logan's in order to stretch his arms. The movement seemed to wake Logan as well, though he was somewhat more graceful about the whole thing than Virgil was.  
  
He didn't  _hiss_ , in other words.

 _"Virgil!"_  a familiar yet new voice called out, and Virgil's eyes blew wide open.   
  
 _"Virgil, I'm so glad they finally found you. I put in a report that you were missing but the Ministry said they hadn't seen you anywhere,"_  Renilda explained, throwing her arms around Virgil.  
  
Virgil tensed, immediately hating that he did so. He could still recall the false memories that Linus planted, the ones he spent  _weeks_  thinking were real, and an entirely different picture of Renilda was painted with those memories. But Virgil had his  _true_  memories back, and knew that his mother wouldn't -  _hadn't_ \- abandoned him.  
  
She'd been searching for him the whole time.

Virgil placed his arms around his mother in return, closing his eyes and savoring the experience.   
  
Seeing that Virgil was otherwise occupied, Logan opted to answer Renilda's question instead.  _"Linus' position within the Ministry allowed him to cover his own tracks. I suspect that even if the Ministry did receive a lead as to Virgil's whereabouts, said lead would have vanished before they had the opportunity to pursue it."_  
  
"They wouldn't have had many leads to go on anyway," Virgil admitted as he pulled himself back into a seated position so that he could better carry on a converstation. "I didn't go out much."  
  
 _"He wouldn't let you out of the house?"_  Renilda's expression was stony.  
  
"No, he let me out of the house, but...we always went to places like other homes or Knockturn Alley," Virgil explained.   
  
 _"He relied on his friends to protect him, in other words,"_  Renilda scowled.  
  
Virgil only went out on his own once, and as Virgil thought about the incident he realized that Linus was wary even of this transgression. He hadn't recognized it at the time, of course, not fully - and he felt his stomach lurch as he recalled how closely he came to informing Linus of his encounter with Logan, Patton, and Roman in Knockturn Alley. He shuddered at the thought of what might have happened - he'd still be under Linus' spell, most likely.  
  
What  _had_  stopped him? Had he subconsciously recognized the danger and put up his shields accordingly? Was that giving himself too much credit? Was it mere happenstance - a lucky break that allowed him his freedom?

 _"Thank you for...well, everything,"_  Renilda told Logan and Patton. Virgil noted that Roman, Era, and Chelsea were absent - presumably still in Roman and Era's hospital room.  
  
"Same. I dunno if I ever really got the chance to thank all of you with everything that's happened? You guys saved me. Like, really  _saved_  me," Virgil told Logan and Patton. Patton beamed. Logan gave him a wry smile.

 _"I do not wish to put a damper on our celebrations, as we do have much to rejoice about...but we still have work that we need to do,"_  Logan pointed out.  _"One of our number is still missing in action."_  
  
 _"Oh yeah,"_  Patton frowned, casting a guilty glance back toward Roman and Era's room. Virgil doubted that Patton forgot Astrit entirely, but his primary focus was on Roman - and that was  _understandable_ , in much the same way that Era wasn't fussing over Roman's bedside and instead wanted to climb out of her hospital bed and find her brother. It wasn't that Patton did not care about Astrit, or that Era did not care about Roman. But Roman was Patton's boyfriend, and Astrit was Era's brother. Of course they took precedence.  
  
 _"Once Roman and Era are up to it, we'll get a plan in place - and then we'll implement it as soon as we possibly can,"_  Logan explained.  _"Do you think that Roman and Era would be up for such a taxing quest so soon after the last one?"_  
  
"Are you kidding me? Roman downed polyjuice potion to impersonate me and I had to stop Era from climbing out of her hospital bed to go after her brother a while ago. Roman and Era are definitely going to want in on this," Virgil assured Logan.  
  
 _"...she did WHAT now? That is incredibly dangerous, she still has considerable edema in her left lower extremity,"_  Logan frowned.  
  
"Don't worry L. That's my job," Virgil told him.  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow at that.  
  
"Besides, I stopped her. She's fine. She knows we'll have a better chance of getting her back if all of us are involved. We can even get Paige, Elliott, and Shane involved this time around," Virgil continued.  
  
 _"So that's all we can do right now? Bide our time?"_  Patton eyed Virgil and Logan.  
  
 _"If we want to get Astrit back safely...yes, that is our only option,"_ Logan confirmed.  
  
\--------------------------------------------------  
  
He felt so...weak.  
  
He was certain that he'd lost a considerable amount of blood. It was a wonder that he hadn't passed out.   
  
It was like deja vu, to the point where he was half convinced that he was having another nightmare about what occurred in the Forbidden Forest a few years before.  
  
There were notable differences, though. Rather than a certain threatening party wearing Virgil's face, he'd opted for a change of wardrobe and was wearing  _another_  face this time around. This time, he was forced to watch as he drew the knife along his own arm.  
  
After that...too much happened. There was too much activity. He was so disoriented. His last  _truly_  clear memory was in Hogsmeade, when he was supposed to meet with his sister. How had this happened? How had everything gone so wrong?  
  
He heard a scream. He heard laughter. He heard shouting. He knew that he would die soon if he stayed where he was.  
  
But how was he supposed to be anywhere else?  
  
He recalled what his  _other_  sister told him, what they'd learned in their Apparition class. It was by no means a guarantee - but this way, even if he  _did_  die, he would not do so surrounded by the worst sort of wizards.   
  
He closed his eyes, scrunching them up tightly. He thought of safety. And he disappeared with a loud crack.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...that's this installment! I hope you guys enjoyed! =D Special thanks to Koko for all of his/her help, as well as all of you for showing me support! I'm already working on the next installment, the first chapter of which I hope to have up tomorrow.


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